


Past and Present: Ladybug and Chat Noir

by randomfandom0817



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chloé gets a redemption arc, F/F, F/M, I'm Sorry, Like Ridiculously Slow, Slow Burn, This is my first fic on this site, also i suck at summaries, i had an idea, mild swearing, they are teenagers after all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2019-10-30 17:01:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 23,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17832584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomfandom0817/pseuds/randomfandom0817
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng's world had been flipped upside down when she was given the Ladybug Miraculous. When the struggle of balancing superhero and civilian life starts to wear on her, Master Fu sends her to the home of two women.Adrien Agreste was in love with Ladybug. He was insanely in love that it consumed most of his thought. When he comes to Master Fu with a heavy heart after being rejected yet again, he is sent to the home of a previous Chat for advice.I have no method to my updating-madness, I'm sorry





	1. Ladybug: Past and Present

Everyone knows the Miraculous have been around for centuries, and longer. And sometimes, generations would be closer than others. And in the case of Ladybug and Chat Noir, the gap in generations was only 15 years.

  
When Marinette came to Master Fu with her latest problem, he knew who to send her to. He gave her an address to visit and told her to go as herself. Everything would be explained when she was there.

  
Marinette looked at the piece of paper in her hand and looked at the number on the door. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She lightly bounced on her toes while she waited for whoever it was she was supposed to see to open the door.

  
An older woman, maybe 30, with short, dark hair and dungarees opened the door, smiling. “Hello, Marinette,” she said. “Master Fu said we should be expecting you. Come in, come in.”

  
Marinette stepped into the apartment, looking around at everything. The walls were covered in Playbills and posters and pictures covered almost every flat surface.  
“Uh, if you don’t mind me asking,” Marinette said, “who are you? Master Fu didn’t tell me much.”

  
The woman laughed and shook her head. “Sounds like him. Name’s Clarisse.”

  
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Clarisse. You have a lovely home,” Marinette said, looking at all of the pictures, her eyes landing on one of Clarisse and other woman at what she assumed was a costume party. Clarisse was dressed like a princess or a fairy or something, complete with a long blonde wig, but the other woman just had on a hoodie.

  
“Why, thank you. Coffee or tea, dear?”

  
“What?”

  
“What would you like to drink, coffee or tea?” Clarisse asked again, pulling some mugs out of a cabinet.

  
“Oh, uh, tea, I guess.”

  
Clarisse smiled and poured hot water over a tea bag.

“Any sugar or cream?”

  
“No thanks,” Marinette said, picking up the frame.

  
The woman smiled and brought the two mugs in, setting them down on the table. “That’s me and my wife, Amelia,” she said when she saw the frame in Marinette’s hand. “She decided to stop by the theater and surprise me before I went on for my last show.”

  
“Your last show?”

  
“I played Galinda in _Wicked_ for a while. I left when we moved back here two, three years ago.” She sat down on the couch. “Sometimes I miss it. But I still talk to my cast.”

  
Marinette nodded and set the frame down. “So, why did Master Fu send me here?”

  
“Well, I may be the best one to help you in matters concerning balancing your lives as Ladybug and a civilian.”

  
“Why?”

  
“Because I used to be Ladybug.”


	2. Explanations

Clarisse took Marinette’s hand and helped the shocked girl sit down, pushing the tea towards her. “Drink the tea. It should help soothe the shock.”

 

“Clarisse!” Tikki squealed when she poked her head out of Marinette’s purse, zooming in a circle around the woman’s head. “It’s been forever!”

 

Clarisse chuckled at the excited Kwami. “I missed you too, T. Cookies are in the kitchen. Top shelf.” The Kwami flew off to the kitchen and the woman turned to the still-shocked Marinette. “I’m guessing you’d like a bit of an explanation?”

 

Marinette nodded.

 

“Well, Master Fu came to me when I was 13, much like with you. I didn’t know it at the time, but he was the old man I had helped at the market. I was Ladybug for a good four years, before I had to give the title up. I had to return the earrings.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I had gotten a job in America. They wanted me to be Cosette in a revival of  _ Les Mis _ . It was kind of weird playing a character that was actually supposed to be French, btu I suppose that’s why I got the part. Anyway, I lived in America for 10 years, playing in various shows.” She picked up a photograph of her and a group of other young people, all crowded around the camera and dressed in clothes from the 60s. “I played Amber Von Tussle in  _ Hairspray  _ after I finished as Cosette. It was probably my favorite production.” She set the photo down with an almost sad smile. “We came back because Amelia’s mother’s health was failing fast. We moved back to Paris and I opened up a school of theatre for kids. It’s fun, sure, but I still miss the stage.” She cleared her throat. “Now, what was this problem you were having?”

 

The two talked for almost two hours about the best ways to balance Marinette’s life as Ladybug with her regular life.

 

“Oh, man, I can’t tell you the number of times I used period cramps as an excuse. I’ve also used homework as an excuse, as well as migraines and family emergencies.”

 

“But what if my friends know my family well enough? My best friend Alya always wonders where I go during akuma attacks. I can only use  _ I was a victim _ so many times.”

 

Clarisse laughed before shaking her head. “That’s always tricky. Maybe use an emergency injury and keep some bandages in your purse. I’ve used that. I once used the excuse I cut my hand on a rusty nail. I had a hot pink bandage on my hand for a few days. It works, trust me.”

 

Marinette nodded, before switching the topic to how to handle the secret with her parents. 

 

“I’m home!” someone called from the door. A woman with longer, dirty-blonde hair pulled into a bun set her bag on the table by the door. “Oh, who’s this?”

 

Clarisse got up and kissed the woman’s cheek, taking the backpack off of her and hanging it by the door. Marinette couldn’t help but think it was the most adorable thing she’d seen all day.

 

“Amelia, this is Marinette. She’s the new Ladybug.”

 

“Oh, Master Fu told us you would be stopping by.” She toed off her heels and stuffed them by the door. “So, did Clarisse talk your ear off yet?”

 

Clarisse lightly punched her wife in the arm. “For your information, yes, my love. I’ve already given her the run-down.”

 

“Good,” Amelia said. “Because it’s getting late.”

 

Sure enough, when Marinette looked out the window, seeing the lights of the Eiffel tower shining through the city.

 

“Tikki!” she called to the kwami in the kitchen. “We have to go!”

 

“Oh, hey,” Clarisse said, “before you go. Don’t be afraid to stop by, okay? No matter what the reason is. Even if you just need a break and want a place to crash. And hey, if we’re not here, have Tikki phase through the door and unlock it.”

 

“Oh, I-I couldn’t do that,” Marinette laughed awkwardly.

 

“Oh, no, really,” Amelia chimed in. “Our house will be your safe haven.”

 

Marinette smiled. “Well, thank you. Tikki, spots on!” Clarisse watched the transformation with a nostalgic smile. “Bye!” Marinette said before ducking out of the apartment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I'll actually get into the plot soon!


	3. Double Chat, Double Trouble

Not even a week after Marinette, there was another knock on Clarisse and Amelia’s door. Amelia smiled and pushed herself off the couch where she was cuddling with her wife. 

 

“My turn.” Amelia walked up to the door and opened it. “Hello, Adrien. Master Fu said we should be expecting you. Come in, come in.”

 

Adrien looked around at the walls, plastered with posters. “Hey, I went to see this!” he said, pointing to a poster for  _ Into The Woods _ . “Their Cinderella was my favorite.”

 

“Why, thank you, Mr. Agreste,” Clarisse said, pushing herself up from the couch. “I was rather fond of that show.” She smiled and held her hand out. “Welcome to our humble abode. Could I offer you some coffee or tea, dear?”

 

“I’ll take some tea,” he decided. “Three spoons of sugar, please?”

 

“Sure thing,” Clarisse said before making her way to the kitchen, leaving Amelia and Adrien alone. 

 

“Here, come sit with me,” Amelia offered. “I sense there’s some things on your mind that only I can help with.” 

 

As Adrien walked over to the couch, an orange and white cat circled his feet. 

 

“Hey,” Amelia said to the cat, snapping. “Sorry, that’s just Cornelius. He’s a people-cat.” The cat jumped up onto the couch and curled next to the woman. She stroked his head and smiled. “I’ve always had an affinity for cats. And I feel like you do as well.”

 

Plagg poked his head out of Adrien’s jacket. “Is that the girl who abandoned me?”

 

“Hi, Plagg,” Amelia said as the black Kwami flew in her face. “It’s nice to see you again.”

 

“Wait, what? Go back,” Adrien said. “What?”

 

Amelia smiled at the blond boy. “Well, now that the cat’s out of the bag,” she chuckled to herself, “I used to be Chat Noir.”

 

Adrien blinked at her. “Go back a step?”

 

She laughed quietly and scratched her cat’s head. “When I was 13, I donned the mask and the flirtatious attitude of Chat Noir. I held the ring until I was 18. Then I moved to the States to be with my Ladybug.” She looked towards the kitchen where Clarisse was coming back with Adrien’s tea. 

 

“Hi. I’m the ex-Ladybug.” She set the mug down. “Your tea, dear.”

 

“Wait, so you married your Ladybug?”

 

Amelia took a deep breath. “That’s why he sent you to me.” She folded her hands. “How long have you and Ladybug had the Miraculous? A year?”

 

“About that,” Adrien said, twisting his ring around. “Maybe a little less.”

 

She nodded. “And of course you don’t know who the other is, correct?”

 

Adrien nodded. “We think it’s better we don’t know.”

 

“Both of you?”

 

“Well… No.”

 

Amelia nodded in understanding. “I see.”

 

“When did you reveal yourselves to each other?” Adrien asked, sipping tea out of the black mug he was given. 

 

“Well, it wasn’t so much of a reveal as a  _ I know it’s you _ . We were both fairly intuitive and figured it out on our own. Of course, the overlapping disappearances helped. And some of the stupid excuses we gave.” She rambled on about how Amelia and Clarisse knew who the other was and how they handled their lives afterwards.

 

“So, I should try to figure out who she is on my own?”

 

“I mean, it shouldn’t be too hard,” Amelia said. “You probably already know her in civilian life.”

 

Adrien nodded before feeling his phone buzz in his pocket. “Oh, shoot! I have to go. I promised my friends I would go see a movie with them.”

 

He moved to get up and Amelia said, “Well, don’t be a stranger, Adrien. If you ever need to stop by, feel free to. And if we’re not home I have no doubt Plagg’ll raid the kitchen anyway.” She smiled and followed Adrien to the door. “Good luck, and stay safe. The akumas are getting more and more violent.”

 

He smiled. “Thanks. I’ll see you around.”


	4. Tutors

“Hey, so are you on for game night tonight?” Alya asked Marinette as they walked to their next class. “It’s at Nino’s place. And Adrien’s gonna be there.”

“Oh, man, I can’t,” Marinette sighed. “I have a, um, tutoring session. You know me, falling behind on my schoolwork.”

“Wow, your parents really got you a tutor?”

“No, I, uh, I got one myself.” She rubbed her arm. “Figured I’d try to get back on track, you know? I’m not getting into a good fashion school with failing grades.”

Alya gave her friend a crooked smile. “I guess you’re right.” She squeezed her friend’s shoulders. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t be late again.”

“I’ll try not to be,” Marinette laughed before breaking off from her friend. She ducked into an alleyway and transformed into Ladybug before swinging through the skyline to Clarisse’s house. She dropped into the alley behind the apartment complex and took her disguise off before making her way up the stairs to the apartment. She knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. 

“Hi, Marinette!” Amelia said when she pulled open the door. The smell of freshly baked cookies wafted out of the apartment. “Come in, come in. I just made some cookies if you want some. Red velvet chocolate chip.” Tikki zoomed off to the kitchen, coming back with a stack in her arms. Amelia laughed and shook her head. “Well, Clarisse isn’t home quite yet. She had to stay back and help with some lighting problem. She should be home soon.” 

“Oh, okay,” Marinette said, awkwardly standing by the door. 

Amelia smiled at her. “You can sit somewhere. Make yourself at home, love. Would you like something to drink? Any coffee or tea?”

“Tea sounds good,” Marinette said, taking a seat on the couch. “So, what do you do, Amelia?”

She smiled and handed Marinette a mug. “I’m a psychiatrist,” she said, sitting next to the girl. “When you’re a superhero, you realize how necessary therapy is for a lot of people. And I make a lot of money doing what I do.” She looked down at the ground. “This way Clarisse can still run her school and do what she loves. She wouldn’t want me saying this, but she doesn’t make a lot with that school. She used to be the moneymaker with us, before we moved back to Paris. She even had 5 auditions lined up before we moved. Her show had two months left, and she was already in the process of getting another one. She’s really good, too. She would have gotten whatever she auditioned for. It’s my fault we came back.”

Marinette put her hand on top of Amelia’s. “I’m sure she doesn’t blame you. She loves you.”

“See, the logical part of my brain knows that. But there’s that part that doesn’t. And that’s what therapy is about. Sometimes even the doctors need doctors.” She patted Marinette’s hand with her free one.

Clarisse fiddled with the door before kicking it open, her arms full of notebooks, binders, and bags with fabrics hanging out of them. “I’m home!” she called, kicking the door closed. “Oh, hello, Marinette.” She dropped some of her bags by the door. “What’s up, kiddo?”

“I’m having trouble balancing school with Ladybug stuff. I’m so behind in school, I don’t even know what we’re talking about. We got some paper on imaginary numbers and I have never been more confused.”

Clarisse laughed and shrugged off her coat. “Come sit at the kitchen table with me. I’ll help you through it.”

Marinette walked into the meticulously clean kitchen and set her school bag on the counter, pulling out the worksheet. “Here.” 

Clarisse looked over the paper and hummed to herself. “Okay, look here,” she said, picking up a pencil. She explained the lesson in simpler terms and walked Marinette through a few problems. 

“Oh, I get it now,” Marinette said. “Thank you.” She hugged Clarisse and stuffed the paper back into her bag. 

“Now, I hear you’re a pretty good seamstress,” Clarisse said. “You think you could help me with some costumes?”

“Really? What do you need? Do you have a sewing machine? I have a kit in my bag if you don’t, I-”

“Whoa, slow down,” Clarisse laughed. She pulled out a binder from one of her bags. “My costumer is falling behind making some of the costumes. We’re doing  _ Beauty and the Beast _ . We go on in a week and a half, and we still don’t have the ball gown made.”

“Wait, the big gold one?”

“That would be the one.”

“Oh, I could definitely help with that! Do you already have a design? If not, that’s okay. I can make one, I can find a reference picture.” She continued rambling about the dress, looking at pictures on her phone and sketching on a napkin. “We could do this drapery thing along the skirt and make the bodice fitted, but not too tight so the actress can’t breathe.”

Clarisse smiled. “Well, this is what my costumer designed with the help with some of the kids.” 

Marinette looked over the design. “Well, this would make it harder for her to waltz properly, so you can’t do that. The corset might work, but making a corset from scratch takes days. And you said they have a ton of other costumes to get done?”

“Yeah. We haven’t gotten Cogsworth or Lumiere done yet either. And we’re prepared to give you full control over the gown, if you want it. The designs have already been graded, but they know they might not get used.”

Marinette’s face broke into a huge smile. “Of course! Do you have fabrics already picked out? If not, I could go to the store and pick some out.”

Clarisse dug a key out of her bag. “Here. Everything you’ll need is in the studio. The address is on the key tag.”


	5. Chapter 5

Marinette stood in front of a dark storefront, checking the address on the key yet again. When she was sure it was the right place, she put the key in the lock and turned, feeling the mechanism unlock. She pushed the door open and gasped. The place was much bigger, brighter, and busier than it looked from the outside. Teenagers, some not much older than Marinette herself, bustled around the studio, carrying fabrics, threads, and partial costumes. 

“Has anyone seen my petticoat?” one teen yelled, wandering around the studio. 

“Over here, Mary Beth!”

Marinette stepped to the side, smiling at the organized chaos. She felt a little out of place, seeing how everyone knew each other so well. She just observed the studio, taking in everything as it happened. People came into the studio from other doors, carrying instruments and sound equipment, leading Marinette to believe the building was a lot bigger than she thought. It was almost like an entire street of shops was refurbished into the school. A girl with a headset and a clipboard walked up to her. 

“Hi, you’re Marinette, right? Madame LeCuyer said you would be stopping by at some point. I’m Violetta, I’m the assistant producer.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Marinette said, shaking her hand. 

“You’re helping design and build the ball gown, right?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, following the older girl as she walked through the chaotic studio. 

“Well, I’ll introduce you to your model, then.” She moved around some of the students, stopping one of them. “Hey, have you seen Margot?”

“Practice room.”

“Thanks, Louana.” She patted the girl’s back. “Come along, Marinette.” Marinette followed Violetta, who greeted some other students. Occasionally, she said something into the headset and scratched something on her clipboard. 

“So, do you make all of your costumes?”

“Most of them,” Violetta said. “Some things we have to order from America. We can’t very well make our own fat suits,” she chuckled at herself. 

“So, uh, how does the school work? Is this, like, your actual school or do you just stay here after school?”

“Well, it really depends, mostly on age. If you’re in the last two years of high school and have really good grades, then you can transfer here under a work study. If you’re in your first few years of high school or have poor grades, then the rules are the same as a job. You can’t be here before 3 in the afternoon and can’t be here later than 11. Why? Are you considering enrolling?”

“Possibly,” Marinette said. “But my grades at school aren’t that great, and I’m not sure we have the money.”

“Well, you have time to get your grades up,” Violetta assured here. “And the tuition is only 75 a semester. Some schools are more like 300.” She stopped in the middle of a hallway. “Here we are.” She knocked on the door to the room labeled  _ Practice Room _ . “Margot?”

“Come in!” the girl called. 

Violetta cracked open the door. “The designer is here.”

A girl with blonde hair opened the door the rest of the way. “Oh, okay!” She held out her hand. “I’m Margot, I’m playing Belle.”

“Nice to meet you,” Marinette said, shaking her hand. “So, are you ready to get your measurements?”

“Aren’t they already on file?”

“Well, yes, but I like taking them myself so I can be as precise as possible. You need to be able to waltz in the dress, and I’d feel more comfortable designing the dress after taking my own measurements.”

“Oh. Okay,” the actress said. “Then let’s get started.”

After about twenty minutes, Marinette had all the measurements she needed and was already designing the dress at a vacant table in the studio. She crossed off one of her designs with a sigh, ripping out the paper and crumpling it. She shook her head and decided to take a walk around the school. She glanced in the windows of some of the doors, smiling at all the productivity, thinking more and more about enrolling. She noticed the door to the dance studio was open, so she poked her head in. Clarisse was standing in front of the students, another student standing next to her. 

“Come on, guys. It’s a kickline, it’s easy,” she sighed, running her hands through her short hair, flipping the part to the other side of her head. “Watch me and Emilie again, please.” She threw her arm over the girl’s shoulder. “Knee up, down, kick, switch sides. And count. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. Try again.” The cast sighed as they lined back up and held their arms around each other while Clarisse counted. “1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. There you go! Timing’s getting better! Emilie, can you take over?” She hopped off the stage and waved Marinette over. “So, did you meet Margot?” she asked the young girl. 

“I did. I have to say, this place is amazing.”

“Well, thank you, Marinette. I did design this place myself. The curriculum and the school itself. It was a pretty hefty price tag and it took a while to complete, but it’s been running for almost three years now.” She turned back to Emilie. “Start them on Gaston!” she called. The girl nodded and changed the score while the dancers changed positions. “That’s my dance captain. She handles the staging and dancing when I’m unavailable. Come, walk with me.”

Marinette skipped behind the older woman. “So, can you tell me a bit about this place? Like the typical student day?”

“Well, for the upperclassmen and principle cast members, the day starts at 8 AM. A lot of the upperclassmen live in the apartments above the school or at least nearby. It comes as part of our work-study program. I essentially own this whole block.”

“How?” Marinette asked. “That must cost a lot, especially since the students don’t pay much to be here.”

Clarisse shrugged. “I had a huge savings accounts so the mortgage is a lot smaller than it would have been. And most of the money comes back when we put on our performances. We do four a year, one each quarter. The performances are essentially a final for the kids, but they’re able to have fun. We judge the performance based on how we see it, not the audience. We also do peer and self evaluations.” She poked her head into one of the rooms. “How’s it going in here?” 

A paint-covered girl smiled and held her thumbs up. “Almost done painting the town backdrop.”

“Good. Keep up the good work.” She continued walking with Marinette. “We only have five teachers here, including myself. We have the band director, the hair, makeup, and costume teacher, the scenery and tech teacher, the producer, and myself, the director and choreographer. I also teach the vocals. Our production teacher works a second job, so sometimes I have to cover his classes, too.”

“How do you do it with that many students?”

“Well, a lot of the upperclassmen take leadership roles, especially if they’ve been here for two or more years. For example, when the producer isn’t here and I’m too busy, Violetta takes over the production classes and assigns jobs to other upperclassmen. Student teaching is a big deal here. They’re able to put it on their resumes, which helps when they go to auditions. We’re actually printing our programs for the show today.”

“Oh, that’s cool!” Marinette said.

“We can include you if you want.”

“What? Oh, no, I’m okay,” Marinette assured Clarisse. “I’d rather just help out.”

Clarisse smiled. “So, why do you want to know so much? You thinking of applying?”

“Well, maybe,” she admitted. “But I wouldn’t know how to convince my parents.”

“Well, lucky for you, I’m going to be speaking at an assembly at your school. It’s Françoise Dupont, right?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

She smiled at the bluenette. “I have my ways.” She glanced at her watch. “Well, it’s getting late, you should get home before your parents ask questions. Give Tikki a hug for me?” she asked, hugging the girl.

“Of course. Bye, Clarisse!”

True to her word, Clarisse showed up at Françoise Dupont High School later that week and gave a presentation on her school. She wore a royal blue suit and had her short hair pulled back, but one lock remained free and framed the side of her face. She gave the school the same information she had told Marinette, but provided pamphlets with the information and ways to contact the school. 

“I sincerely hope some of you consider enrolling,” she said. “Thank you. I will answer any questions you have by the stage.” She hopped off the stage and smiled as a small line formed to ask questions.

“So, what do you think?” Alya asked Marinette as she looked at the pamphlet. 

“I don’t know, I might want to join the school.”

“Me too,” Nino joined in, leaning over Alya’s shoulder. “Look at this! I could make a living out of controlling a soundboard!”

Adrien laughed at his friend’s antics. “It is a pretty good school. And Clarisse LeCuyer is a well-respected actress. She’s been in at least 7 professional productions. Anyone would be lucky to study under her.”

“You can’t honestly be thinking of enrolling at that stupid excuse for a school,” Chloe said as she butted through the line to get to Adrien. “I mean, who knows if this woman even is who she says she is? Where’s the proof?”

Alya rolled her eyes and showed Chloe her phone. “Literally all over the internet? Stop trying to find evidence against people. And the pamphlet says that 98% of graduating students either get jobs right out of the school or they get into prestigious theatre schools with near-full scholarships.”

“And she’s super nice, too,” Marinette chimed. 

“Wait, how would you know?” Adrien asked her. 

“Uhh, I’m just guessing. I mean, she runs a school and all of her students are insanely successful. So, it makes sense that she would be super nice.” She chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. 

“Hey, it’s us,” Alya said, stepping up to the woman. “Hi, there!”

“Oh, hello,” Clarisse said. “What questions can I help you with?”

Marinette stepped towards the front. “I had one. Uh, how is a costume designer different from a regular fashion designer?”

Clarisse smiled. “Well, it’s a lot less competitive,” she explained. “Unlike fashion designers, costume design is all about collaboration, both with other designers and the actors who wear your designs. It isn’t one day you’re in, the next you’re out. Plus, costumers are always in need. Tons of my design students got jobs in New York working for productions like the  _ Anastasia  _ tour,  _ Kiss Me Kate _ , and even  _ Beetlejuice _ . They work directly for those productions, designing the outfits for the individual actors. But there is still a need for shops specializing just in Broadway costumes because, you know, sometimes a crinoline rips and you don’t have enough time to sew and steam the ruined one.” She chuckled to herself. “Sorry, personal experience. But I believe you would do well anywhere you decide, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I’ve seen your designs, you would be so sought after as a costume designer.” Marinette smiled at Clarisse as she winked. “Anyone else with questions?”

“Yes, hi, Chloe Bourgeois,” Chloe said, shoving Marinette and Alya out of the way.

“Oh. The mayor’s daughter,” Clarisse said. “What can I do for you?”

“Yeah, if I join your school, can I be guaranteed the lead role? Because, you know, I am the mayor’s daughter.”

Clarisse gave her a pained smile. “No. No one is guaranteed any role. Unlike a lot of other schools, I do not believe in showing favoritism in theatre. It’s a sucky thing to do and makes people feel like they’ll never actually get anywhere. So if you are good enough for a lead role, then you get it. For example, the lead in our production this year had been with us since the school opened. She’s shown real growth and earned that spot. No one, and I mean no one, is ever handed anything. Now, if you would like to enroll and go through the audition process, you might be able to get a role in our next production. But you would not be guaranteed a principal role.” 

Chloe huffed and walked off, Sabrina following close at her heels. 

“Anyone else in this group have a question? Or can we move the line along, please?”

“I think we’re good. Right, Mari?” Alya asked her friend. 

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Oh, Mr. Agreste?” Clarisse called as the group continued walking away. “A little  _ kitty  _ told me you like physics? I know a pretty good physics tutor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love puns


	6. Chapter 6

Amelia was rubbing her wife’s back as Clarisse looked through multiple sheets of music. Clarisse rubbed her forehead and shuffled through the packets in front of her. 

“Maybe you should take a break,” Amelia suggested. “I mean, tech week hasn’t even officially started, right?”

Clarisse sighed. “Well, yeah. But Sebastian is sick so I have to cover his classes, and teach my own. And Morgan doesn’t care what we do, as long as the orchestra can play it. Adeline said she’s fine as long as she can find costumes and design set pieces. So it’s up to me and Seb to pick out the show for next semester.” She pulled two packets from the pile. “Thankfully, I’ve narrowed it down to two. Either  _ Something Rotten _ or  _ Newsies _ . Both are excellent and use big companies.” She groaned. “I’m gonna go take some aspirin, I have a headache.”

As she pushed herself up from the floor, someone knocked at their door. 

“I got it,” Amelia said. “Go lay down for a bit. I’ll clean up for you.” She opened the door and smiled at a damp Adrien. “Hey, Adrien! Come on in!” She closed the door as the boy stepped inside. “Is it raining? Where’s your umbrella?”

“Oh, I loaned it to my friend Marinette. She forgot hers again, so I let her use mine.”

Amelia smiled to herself at the oblivious boy. “So, Plagg told me you want to teach Physics. I happen to be pretty good with physics. And convincing stubborn parents to let their kids have freedom in their lives.” She winked at the boy.

“Really? You think you could convince my father to let me study what I want?”

“Come sit,” she said, picking up the packets on the floor before settling down on the couch. “I want to tell you a secret.” When he sat down, she tucked her leg underneath herself. “My mother was completely neurotic after my dad left us. From the time I was 6 months old, she had forced me into beauty pageants. I had Vaseline on my teeth from the time I was four to the time I was 13. I was stuck to a strict, bland diet until I was 17 and started making my own meals before she came home. She homeschooled me until I was 14 and my aunt pressured her to send me to a real school. So I know exactly what you’re going through.”

“How did you deal with it? Your mother sounds like she was a lot more present than my father. He makes his assistant do everything for him.”

“Well, being Chat Noir helped me feel more free,” she said. “But I also had some amazing friends who had equally amazing parents. Clarisse’s parents were like the family I’d never had. When she and I started dating, they were the first people we told. My mother didn’t find out until after we got married, in America no less.”

“But didn’t you come back for her funeral?”

Amelia smiled at him sadly. “Yes. She may have made my childhood a living hell, but she was still my mother and the only family I had.” She cleared her throat. “But the way I got out of her pageants was what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve always loved the sciences, but she didn’t approve of that. She wanted me to be the next Miss Universe and spend the money on other superficial crap. But my friends Nathalie and Magali were a wonderful support system. They helped me stand up to my mother and tell her I was finding my own way in life. And as I understand it, you have a pretty good support system of friends. And hey, we have a spare room if you need a place to sleep in the case of a backfire, like with me.”

“It backfired?”

“Oh, yeah. My mother flipped out and went psycho on me. Claimed my friends were bad influences and ruining my life. I ended up crashing at Nathalie’s place until my 18th birthday a few weeks later. Then I flew out to New York to be with Clarisse.”

“Well, I’m not sure that’ll work too well for me. I’m not anywhere close to being 18.”

“Yes, but you have three friends with caring parents, as well as two older lesbians to take you in if need be.”

Adrien felt the corners of his mouth tug up in a smile. “Thanks, Amelia.”

She ruffled the boy’s still damp hair. “Not a problem.”

“Hey, what are these?” he asked, noticing the packets on the coffee table. 

“Oh, Clarisse is trying to pick the next production. She’s struggling to pick between two and it was giving her a migraine, so I sent her to lay down.” She organized the papers when Cornelius hopped onto the table. “Um, excuse me, sir. Do you belong up there?” When he hopped down, she smiled. “Good boy.”

Adrien’s phone chimed and he pulled it out of his pocket, smiling at the text. 

“Ooh, who is it?” Amelia asked. “A pretty girl?”

“Kinda, yeah. Marinette, the girl I gave my umbrella to.” He smiled as he typed a reply. “She was thanking me for lending it to her. She’s so amazing and thoughtful. I’m lucky to have her as such a close a friend.”

Amelia internally groaned at the boy’s obliviousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I encourage comments! Please let me know your thoughts! I thrive off feedback!


	7. Chapter 7

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Adrien asked as he did his homework at Amelia’s.

“Sure thing, kiddo,” she said, setting a plate of cookies on the table while Plagg gorged himself on a pile of cheese. “What’s up?”

“Why did you decide to become a psychologist?”

She smiled and pushed the plate closer to Adrien. “Well, I already told you how much my mother messed me up. I didn’t realize it wasn’t normal until I went to a normal school. And I realized it was so interesting to learn how people work and, you know, there were probably more kids like me. I wanted to help kids stuck in the same type of abusive household that left them with this warped image of themselves. I mean, I was anorexic until I was 20 and I was briefly an alcoholic when I was 21. But I had good support systems, Clarisse and my friends from school, and they helped me get on the track to fix myself and graduate with my degree. I started seeing a psychologist myself, and she said that if I got my life back on track, I could work at her firm.” She sighed and picked up a cookie. “Basically, I realized what I wanted to do when I realized how messed up I really was.”

Adrien smiled and picked up a cookie before his phone buzzed. “Oh, shoot. I should probably get going. My father is about to send my bodyguard around looking for me.”

“Then you should get out of here while you can,” Amelia said. She handed him a small paper box. “Here, some cookies for the road. You’re too thin, Mr. Agreste.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, man,” Nino said to Adrien the next day at school. “We’re having a gaming marathon at Marinette’s tonight, you in?”

Adrien pulled out his phone and checked his phone. “Hey, it’s a miracle! I’m free tonight. Let me just check with my father real quick.” He texted his father’s assistant and smiled up at Nino when she replied. “We’re good to go.”

“Awesome! I’ll let the girls know.” He jogged up to Alya and Marinette, who were deep in conversation about something. “Guess what?” he said, throwing his arms around the two girls. 

“What’s up, Nino?” Marinette asked with a smile. 

“Adrien said he’s free for game night tonight.”

“A-Adrien?” Marinette stuttered, suddenly self-conscious. 

“Oh, come on, girl,” Alya said. “You’ve played games with him before, you know you can kick his ass.”

She ran her fingers through her hair. “Yeah, but you know how I get around him. I can barely get out a single sentence without stuttering and getting tongue-tied!”

“Dude, chill,” Nino laughed. “You’ll forget it’s him halfway into Mecha Strike IV anyway.”

She sighed as the warning bell for the first class rang. “I guess you’re right. Let’s get to class. This is the first time I’m early in a long time.”

The got into class and took their respective seats. Marinette reached into her bag to pull out her notebook, papers cascading into the floor. 

“Oh, man,” she huffed, dropping to the floor to gather up the notes and handouts from her teachers. 

“Here, let me help,” a familiar voice said. Marinette kept her eyes on the ground so she didn’t start stuttering. “The LeCuyer School of Theatre? You’re applying?” Adrien asked. 

Marinette had to look up at that. “Uh, y-yeah. I’m, uh, I’m going to enroll next semester,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ears. “So I’ve been trying to get my grades up this year. I want to be one of the resident students.”

“Well, I could help you,” Adrien offered. “I’m ahead from homeschooling anyway. I could be like your private tutor or something like that.”

Marinette felt her mouth go dry. “Uh-”

“She’ll do it,” Alya said, leaning over the desk.  Marinette shot her best friend a glare that would have murdered her on the spot if looks could kill. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some PLOT is taking shape


	8. Chapter 8

Marinette hummed to herself as she hand stitched yellow fabric onto a hoop skirt. She constantly checked her measurements to make sure the dress would be correct. As she reached for a pin, there was a knock on her trap door.

 

“Come in,” she said, her voice a bit muffled from holding the sewing needle in her mouth. She hummed and pinned the fabric at the top of the skirt as Adrien stepped into her room. It was different from the last time he saw it: his pictures were replaced with pictures of Marinette with her friends, one of her and Jagged Stone, and one of her with Clarisse LeCuyer. He figured she’d gotten it when she took her application to the school. Yellowish-gold fabric and yellow thread covered just about every inch of her bedroom and she was so focused on her project that she barely registered him.

 

“Hey, Marinette,” he said.

 

“Hi, Adrien,” she said, surprisingly calm. She reached for another pin before stitching the skirt some more. She sighed and stepped back. “Is it good enough for a waltz?” she muttered to herself, circling the mannequin.

 

“Marinette?”

 

“What? Oh, sorry,” she said, turning around to face Adrien. “Is it, uh, our first tutoring session, or whatever you want to call it?” She set her needle into the pin cushion on her wrist and glanced over the skirt one last time. “It still seems off,” she muttered to herself. 

 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Adrien said, bringing Marinette back to reality, “what’s the skirt for?”

 

“Oh, um, it’s for the uh, LeCuyer School’s production. Appaparently- _ apparently _ , no one there has ever made a hoop skirt gown before and they need it quicker than they can teach the technique.” She took the cushion off of her wrist and put it back with the rest of her sewing supplies. “I have to start on the corset tonight, if I ever want to get done in time.” She worried her lower lip.

 

“Well, would it be easier if I came back another time?” Adrien offered.

 

“No! I mean, no, it’s okay. I should probably take a break anyway. I’ve been working on this since lunch.” She sighed and made her way over to her desk.

 

“So, what subjects are you struggling with?” Adrien asked, pulling up a stool.

 

“It’s more like what am I not struggling with,” Marinette joked, quickly covering her face when her small laugh turned into a snort.

 

Adrien smiled softly at the endearing girl. “Okay, what are you not struggling with?”

 

“History and Literature. Everything else is suffering.”

 

Adrien chuckled quietly. “Wow. So you’re excelling in the only areas I’m struggling. Kind of ironic. It’s almost like we’re each other’s other half.”

 

Marinette smiled and tried to force herself not to let her cheeks flush as pink as her pants.

 

“Let’s start with your worst grade: chemistry.”

 

Marinette managed to fall into a comfortable pattern with Adrien, when she saw him as her tutor, not her massive crush. They joked around some while he talked her through the lessons. He let her rant about the LeCuyer School and all the wonderful opportunities it provided. He couldn’t help but admire how animated she got when talking about fashion and design. At some point, Sabine had come up and left a tray of snacks for the two kids, both healthy and unhealthy options.

 

Adrien glanced at his phone, then the darkened night sky. “Wait, when did it get so late?” he asked, glancing at the time again. “It’s already after 10.”

 

“Wait, really?” Marinette too out her phone looked at the time. Sure enough, the clock read 22:18. “Wow. You should, uh, you should probably get home before your father sends the police out looking for you.”

 

“You’re probably right,” he said. “Besides, doesn’t Rose’s band have to perform at the music festival tomorrow? You should probably get some sleep for that.” He gathered up the books and other study materials. “I’m gonna go call my bodyguard to come get me. I’ll try and get to the festival tomorrow.” He gave her one last wave before ducking out of her room and heading for the door. He was unable to escape with Tom and Sabine pushing what felt like half the boulangerie-patisserie into his arms and a dozen hugs each. He secretly wished he never had to leave. 


	9. Chapter 9

Clarisse was flipping through the television channels when frantic knocking began on her door. She turned off the tv and made her way to the door, opening it to reveal Marinette, mid-knock. Her face was flushed and she was fidgeting more than usual. Her eyes were wide and flitting back and forth. Her hair was messy, like she had been pulling on it or running her hands through it. Her lower lip was swollen like she had been chewing on it, a lot. Her breathing was heavy and irregular. 

“Whoa, Marinette,” Clarisse said, gently pulling the girl into her apartment. “You’re having a panic attack.” She set her down at the kitchen table. “Breathe with me, okay? In through the nose, out through the mouth.” Clarisse coached Marinette’s breathing until she was considerably calmer. She handed Marinette a glass of ice water. “What happened?”

Marinette sighed and dropped her head onto the wooden table. “I got really confused and overwhelmed at the music festival today. My friend Juleka has this brother who’s really sweet, and cute, and I think I have a crush on him. But I also have a crush on my friend Adrien and I have since he gave me this umbrella on the first day of school which sounds stupid I know but-”

“Marinette, slow down,” Clarisse said gently, placing her hand on top of the young girl’s. “Breathe. It’s okay. Teenage emotions are confusing.” She rubbed Marinette’s hand while the girl laid her head on the cool table. “I was confused when I was your age, too. Granted, my confusion was a tad bit different. But it’s the same concept.”

Marinette looked up from the table. “What do you mean?”

Clarisse sighed. “Look, being a teenager is hard. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you. You’re being forced to figure out what you want to do with your life, you’re still treated like a child even when expected to act like an adult. Hell, you have to ask to go to the bathroom when you’re in school!” She shook her head. “And things only get harder when hormones and love come into play. But you have to realize, Marinette, most high school relationships aren’t meant to last forever. You get with someone, date them for a while, and then you break up. It sucks, yeah, but it’s a part of being a teenager. You have to figure out what your, you know,  _ type _ , is. And besides, half the people you know now aren’t gonna be in your life later anyway. For example, Amelia and I had this mutual friend, Nathalie. After I moved to the States, we lost touch. All I know about her now is from Facebook. Apparently she works for some big company as the CEO’s assistant.” She shrugged. “I don’t even talk to most of my ex-classmates.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“Do you like this Luka?”

“Well, yes, but-”

“Does he seem interested in you?”

“I-I don’t know. Maybe. He definitely acts differently than Adrien. He just sees me as a friend. He tells me all the time. I mean, he’s not mean about it. I don’t think he knows I like him anyway.”

“Okay, well, then, who stands to get hurt from this? If you like Luka, see how things go. And hey, if you break up, I’ll have ice cream, tissues, and rom-coms.”

“Really?” Marinette said, tucking her hair behind her ears. “You think I should go for it?”

“Well, maybe spend some more time around him,” Clarisse suggested. “But yeah, go for it. If it turns out you don’t click, then, well, that’s what dating’s about.”

Marinette smiled and took the Jagged Stone guitar pick out of her pocket. “I think I will.”

After Marinette left, Amelia made her way to the kitchen and took her vacant seat. She folded her hands and rested her chin on them, squinting at her wife. 

“What are you doing, Clarisse?”

She shrugged and got up to pour herself a glass of orange juice. “Just helping a young teenager realize that waiting around for a crush takes away from the experience of teenaged life.” Amelia squinted her eyes more. “And giving a lovesick boy the push he needs to realize the girl of his dreams is right in front of him.”

“But what if the other boy gets hurt? What if they all get hurt?”

Clarisse sighed. “Well, as I seem to recall, you were dating people that weren’t me before we realized who the other was.”

“Yes, but my mother orchestrated all of those relationships. I didn’t like any of them.”

Clarisse kissed the top of her wife’s head before sitting back in her seat. “And, if I remember correctly, I was also involved with someone, way before we knew who the other was.”

“Oh, yes,” Amelia grumbled. “Lillian.”

Clarisse shook her head with a smile. “Hey, I haven’t talked to her in almost 15 years. She’s just a distant memory, okay?”

“Yeah, one I don’t like.”

Clarisse smiled. “Awe, there’s my possessive kitty cat.” She picked up Amelia’s hand and kissed it. “ _Mon petit minou_.”

~~~~~

“Hey, Luka,” Marinette smiled as she stepped onto the messy houseboat. 

Luka looked up from where he was sitting on the deck, casually strumming his guitar. “Hey, Marinette,” he said with a soft smile. “What’s up?”

“Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me today. It’s okay if you don’t, though! I was just going to go down to the arcade and thought it might be fun if you went with me. As friends,” she added, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable.

“Sure,” Luka said. “Just let me put this away first.”

After Luka stored his guitar down in his room, he and Marinette headed off to the arcade and spent the whole day together. Marinette found that she was equally matched with Luka when they tied on several games. She had to admit that she enjoyed that it was a challenge to beat Luka. She didn’t feel like she had to half-ass the game to make it seem fair. At the end of their day, Marinette and Luka counted up their tickets before heading to the prize counter. 

“Oh, my gosh, look at that pink ladybug!” Marinette squealed, pointing to the stuffed animal. “And it has a top hat!” She looked at the ticket price and her face dropped. “Aw, man. I’m 50 away.”

Luka smiled and looked at the tickets in his hands. He had exactly 50 more than Marinette. He walked up to the counter. “I’ll take the pink ladybug.”

“What? Luka, you can-”

“Marinette,” Luka interrupted her. “I wasn’t gonna get anything anyway. I just wanted to have fun with you today.” The clerk handed him the ladybug, which he in turn handed to Marinette. She smiled and squeezed it to her chest. 

“Oh, thank you, Luka! How can I repay you for this?”

Luka chewed his lip for a second. “You can go out to dinner with me next Friday. You know, as a date? Obviously you don’t have to if that’s crossing a lin-”

“I’d love to,” Marinette told Luka honestly.


	10. Chapter 10

“Hey, Marinette!” Adrien called to her on Monday. “Do you want to get together for a study session on Friday?”

“Oh, I can’t,” Marinette said. “I actually, um, I actually have a date.”

“Really? With who?” Adrien asked, ignoring whatever weird pain just occured in his stomach. 

“Juleka’s brother, Luka. I think you’ve met him, right? You played with the band at the music festival.”

Adrien smiled. “Yeah, I remember him. So, uh, where are you gonna go?” he asked. 

“He’s taking me to some fancy restaurant along the river,” Marinette said with a smile, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’m kind of excited. It’s my first date, ever.” 

Before Adrien could comment, the first bell rang and they had to get to their morning classes. The rest of the day, he fought back a strange pang in his stomach. He shrugged it off as test anxiety as he had a science test at the end of the day. When the final bell rang, Adrien walked with Nino down the steps of the school. Nino waved to Alya and Marinette and the two girls jogged over. 

“Hey, guys,” Alya said. 

“Hey. So, a little birdy told me that our Marinette has a date this Friday?” Nino said, leaning towards his friend. “And with Luka Couffaine no less.”

Marinette’s cheeks flushed. “Alya!”

“Hey, it wasn’t me!” her friend defended herself. 

“It wasn’t Alya,” Nino laughed. “Juleka told me. I’m happy for you, Mari. It’s about time you got yourself out there.”

“Nino!” Alya swatted at Nino, but he dodged out of the way with a soft laugh. 

Marinette smiled at her friends. “He’s right though, Al. I can barely talk around guys I crush on. It’s a miracle I got up the courage to talk to Luka like a normal human being.” Her eyes lit up. “Oh! Speaking of, Alya, Maman is taking me shopping for a dress. You wanna tag along? Having another person there might make it a bit less awkward.”

“Hell yeah! When are you going?”

“As soon as I get home. She said she’d stop for food, too.”

“Ooh, can we come?” Nino begged. 

Alya laughed. “You wanna sit in a store for twenty minutes while Mari tries on dress after dress?”

“No,” Nino grumbled. 

“Come on, girl,” Alya said to Marinette. “Maybe we can stop by Andre’s on the way to the boutique.”

As Alya and Marinette skipped off towards Marinette’s house, laughing the whole time, Nino turned to Adrien. 

“Dude. Earth to Adrien!” He waved his hand in front of his best friend’s face.

“Sorry, what?”

“Dude, what’s going on with you? You didn’t say anything that entire time.”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine. I’m fine.”

Nino looked him over skeptically. “If you say so.”

~~~~~

“What about this one?” Marinette asked her mother and best friend as she stepped out of the changing room in a red backless dress with a halter neckline.

“No,” Sabine said. “No. You look like a 25-year-old hooker.”

“She’s right, Mare.”

Marinette sighed. “Another one for the rack, then.”

“Maybe try something that isn’t red or pink,” Alya suggested. “What about black or green? Or blue?”

“I guess I could try a black dress.”

“Good, because I already picked one out for you.”

“What?”

Alya shoved the dress into Marinette’s arms. “Go, go try it on!”

Marinette shook her head and relocked the door to the changing room. She pulled the dress on and looked at herself in the mirror. “I don’t like it,” she said, hoping her voice carried through the door. She heard her mother chuckle. 

“I have one for you,” Sabine said. She lightly knocked on the door so Marinette knew she was there. “I think this is a bit more you.”

Marinette took the dress and switched out of the black one. She spun around in the mirror and smiled. Her mother had picked out a light pink cocktail dress with a little pink bow around the waist. Lace covered the dress from the sweetheart neckline down to the hem at her knees.

“I love it,” she said when she stepped out of the room. 

“Oh, you look gorgeous, Marinette,” Alya told her. “Luka’s gonna love it.”

~~~~~

Chat perched himself on the Eiffel Tower, looking out at the city. He was trying to understand why he’d felt the way he did all day. He sighed and tossed his staff between his hands. 

“Hey there, Kitty,” Ladybug said, swinging up to join him. She retracted her yo-yo and tucked her legs underneath her body. “What’s got you down in the dumps?”

“I-I’m not sure,” he admitted, running a hand through his already mussed-up hair. “I’ve just… I’ve been having these weird feelings all day and I have no idea where they came from and I just…” he groaned and rubbed his gloved hand down his face. “I don’t understand. I think I might like this girl? But she’s, like, my best friend. Aside from you, of course!” he added. “Just-just in civilian life. But, uh, apparently she got asked out on a date this weekend and she’s really happy and excited about it. And, you know, I feel terrible because I’m pretty sure I’m jealous.”

Ladybug smiled and patted Chat Noir’s hand. “Well, as a wise woman told me, being a teenager is hard. And you know, emotions only get more complicated when love gets thrown into the mix of wondering who you are and what you want to do with your life. And hey, if it turns out you really like this girl, look on the bright side. Most teenage relationships don’t end in a marriage. They end in breakups. Some are more amicable than others, but they’re breakups nonetheless.”

“Wow, since when are you such an expert on love?” Chat teased. 

“I don’t know,” Ladybug laughed. “I just kind of threw some word-vomit out there and hoped it made sense and helped you.”

Chat smiled and rested his head on her shoulder. “Am I the only one thankful for an akuma-free night?”

“Hey, don’t jinx it!” Ladybug hissed. 

Chat laughed. “Right. Sorry, sorry.”

She smiled at her partner before deciding to stand up. “Well, I have to cut our meeting short,” she said. “I have a big project due at school tomorrow and I haven’t finished it yet.”

“Aw, well, until next time, M’Lady,” Chat said, getting up himself and pulling her hand delicately up to his lips. The two split off and headed to different sides of the large city, her with her yo-yo and him with his baton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sabine is the mother I wish I had  
> Also she's gonna be in the story a lot more because she's a supportive mother who loves her daughter and her daughter's friends whom she adopted


	11. Chapter 11

Marinette was folding the hoop skirt she had finally completed and set it in a large bag before packaging the corset. She was finally going to put her gown on Margot and make sure it fit before the dress rehearsals. She put the waterproof bags in a larger bag and sighed as she looked out her balcony window at the rain. She grabbed an umbrella and ducked out of the apartment. She sighed as she stepped in a particularly large puddle, soaking her socks. 

“Ugh, great,” she grumbled. “Now my feet are cold.”

“Need a lift?” a familiar voice said from the street next to her. 

She looked up and smiled. “I’d love one.”

Adrien opened the door and waved to her. “Take a seat. Here, I’ll take the bag for you.”

“Oh, thank you,” she sighed, sliding into the car and closing up the umbrella. “Thank you so much.”

“So, where are you headed?”

“The LeCuyer School,” Marinette said, buckling the seatbelt. Adrien tapped the driver’s headrest, getting a nod back. “Thanks again, Adrien.”

“Oh, hey, it’s no problem,” he assured her. “What are friends for?” He glanced out the window towards the river before turning back to Marinette. “So, you had your big date last night,” Adrien offered. “How’d it go?”

Marinette’s face lit up. “Oh, it was so great! Alya came over to do my hair while Maman did my makeup. He took me to this little Italian restaurant right by the Seine. He got us some seats on the patio and he had on this blue suit- it was a  _ Gabriel _ , actually, and it matched his eyes so well- Sorry, I’m rambling,” she chuckled. “Oh, we’re here!” She gathered her bag and her umbrella before stepping back out into the rain. “Thanks again for the lift.” 

She kissed Adrien’s cheek, a featherlight kiss that he wasn’t sure was real, before closing the door and heading into the building. Adrien felt his face heat up, he wouldn’t be surprised if it was as red as Ladybug’s suit. 

~~~

“What’s with all the ruffles and frills?” Margot asked Marinette as Marinette laced up the corset. 

“That’s the smallest amount I could find on a pre-existing pattern. And please be careful with the corset, all of those beads are hand-stitched.”

“Not a problem,” Margot said with a smile. “It is gorgeous, Marinette.” She wiped by the corner of her eye. 

“Margot? Are you okay? Is the corset too tight?”

“No, no,” Margot laughed before sniffling. “No, it’s just… This is my last year here. I’m going to Julliard next fall so this is one of my last productions.” She wiped her eye again. “It’s a bit emotional for me.”

Marinette fixed some of the draping tulle around the skirt. “Well, you’ll get to move on to other productions, right?”

“Well, yeah, but I’ll never work with this group of people again. I’ll probably never work under Madame LeCuyer again, and we all love her.” Margot lightly scratched her arm. “She’s helped all of us graduates more than we can ever repay, especially those of us without the best home lives. That’s part of the reason she does the residency program. She wants the best for all of us.”

Marinette smiled, pinning the back of the skirt. “I guess I made a good decision in enrolling for next year.”

“You really did, Marinette.”

~~~

Clarisse was sending out weekly grade report emails when someone knocked on her door. 

“Come in!” she called, checking off a name on her list of students. She glanced up briefly before looking back at her paper to make notes. “Hello, Mademoiselle Bourgeois. What do you need?”

Chloe took a deep breath. “Advice.”

Clarisse dropped her pen. “Well, there’s something I never thought I’d hear. Please, sit down.”

“I’d rather stand,” Chloe said, beginning to pace around the carpeted office floor. 

“What’s going on, Chloe?”

She took another deep breath. “I think I’m gay.” When Clarisse showed that she was still paying attention, she continued. “I mean, I think about my future and I don’t see myself getting married to any guy. But then I think about it again, but with a woman by my side, and I can see it. I can see walking down the aisle to my wife-to-be, I can see maybe having kids with another woman. But I just, I don’t know. And you’re the only person I know who wouldn’t go to the press or tell me it’s just a phase.”

Clarisse smiled and stood up from her desk. “I would never tell any child that it’s just a phase. Even if it is a phase and you redefine your identity later in life, that’s okay. You can change your labels as you figure out who you are. You’re only 14. When I was 14, I thought I still liked guys. It took me a little while to learn that that wasn’t true. And I’m honored that you would think to come to me. My door is always open to kids who need some guidance.”

“That’s what the students downstairs said. They were all so nice,” Chloe said. 

“Well, I do require my students be kind to everyone. I don’t believe in creating drama for the sake of it. Petty feuds and grudges are not permitted within these walls. Forgiveness and apologies are always held in high regard and respect.”

Chloe looked around a bit awkwardly, something about those words unnerving her. “Well, I’m gonna take off. And if the press says anything-”

“I’ll tell them you were discussing private vocal lessons,” Clarisse said with a wave. “I’ve had my fair share of nosy press from New York.” She pulled a book off her shelf and handed it to Chloe. “Here. Read this. I think it might help a bit. And if you like this one, I have others you can read.”

“Ask A Queer Chick,” Chloe read the title out loud. “I’ll read it, thanks.”

“Not a problem. I hope your confusion gets cleared up.” She smiled at the young girl before Chloe slipped out of the room. Clarisse shook her head and went back to working. 

“Marinette?” Chloe said as she made her way to the front door. “What are you doing here?”

Marinette spun around. “I could ask you the same.”

“I asked first.”

“Alright, fine. I was fitting the main actress into the ball gown I made. Your turn.”

“I was… talking to Madame LeCuyer about private vocal lessons,” she said, using the older woman’s lie. 

“What’s with the book?”

Chloe tucked it into her jacket. “What book?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Fine, don’t tell me.”

Chloe stood in place for a minute, shifting her weight. She opened her mouth before closing it again. “I’m sorry, Marinette,” she finally said. 

“W-what? What? Sorry for what?”

“For everything. I was terrible to you. For years. And I realize now how immature and petty I was. I’m really sorry. I know you probably won’t completely forgive me right away, and I’m not asking to become immediate friends. I just want our stupid feud to end.”

Marinette smiled. “Well, that’s really big of you, Chloe. And you’re right, it’ll probably be a while before I can forgive and forget, and probably even longer to be friends. But I appreciate the apology.”

~~~

“It was so weird, Alya,” Marinette said over the phone later that night. “I don’t know what happened to make her do it, but it was weird.”

“That is weird,” Alya agreed. “But hey, at least this means she’ll stop tormenting you, right?”

“I think so,” Marinette said, running a piece of fabric under her machine. “I hope so.”

"What about the rest of us? You think she'll be nicer to everyone else?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning to Chloe's redemption! Obviously that was not the whole thing, but it's the start!


	12. Chapter 12

Marinette came to school a living zombie. She walked into the front door and stumbled backwards, tripping over her own feet. 

“Whoa, watch yourself, Marinette,” someone said as they caught her. 

“Sorry, sorry.” She straightened herself and turned to the person. “Sorry, Nathaniel.”

The redhead smiled. “It’s not a problem, Marinette. Why do you look so tired?”

“I was out late last night,” she said, shaking her head. “It was the last night of the LeCuyer School’s production so I went to see it, and see how my dress was holding up.” She chuckled a bit and rubbed her face. “I didn’t get home until, like midnight. But anyway, how are you? I feel like we haven’t talked in ages! How’s the comic book going? How’s Marc?”

Nathaniel’s face turned almost as red as his hair. “I actually wanted to thank you for that.”

“For what?”

“Well, if it weren’t for you, I never would have made a comic book. And I never would have even met Marc, let alone start dating him.”

Marinette’s face lit up. “Oh, you two are dating now? I’m so happy for you!” She threw her arms around the taller boy, who was smiling just as much. The bell rang for the first class of the day. “Well, I have to go. We should get together sometime soon, though!” She jogged down the hallway, hoping to get into the room on time. As she jogged, she bumped into someone else that was running, knocking the both of them down. 

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Adrien asked, jumping up and helping the girl to her feet. “I’m sorry, I should have watched where I was going.”

“Oh, no, it’s my fault. I was running and-”

“Marinette, don’t start the blame-game,” Adrien said as he pulled her up. “We both know it would just go on forever with how stubborn we both are.”

“You’re right,” she sighed before yawning for what felt like the 800th time that morning. 

“Late night?” Adrien asked as they slipped into the room. 

“Yeah. I went to see  _ Beauty and the Beast _ . I wanted to see how well the gown turned out. Then I helped package it back up and put it in their student costume closet. Then there was that akuma attack, so I couldn’t sleep with that going on.” She yawned again and sat down at her desk. “I didn’t have enough time this morning to make any coffee or tea.”

“Sounds rough,” Adrien said as he took his seat. 

“Oh, it’s not so bad,” she said. “Luka’s taking me for lunch today.”

Adrien felt the stir of jealousy in his stomach, but pushed it away. “You two have been together for a while, now.”

Marinette nodded. “Two months exactly on Thursday,” she smiled. 

Before Adrien could comment, the rest of the class filed in and Miss Bustier started the class. 

~~~

“Hey, Mari,” Luka said when he met Marinette at the front of the school for the lunch break. He wrapped his arm around her waist. “Where do you want to go?”

She shrugged. “Where ever. As long as they have caffeine.” 

Luka shook his head and booped her nose, making her giggle. 

Adrien had been watching this exchange by the steps, not intentionally, of course. He just happened to be there at the right time. 

“Dude, what’s got you all shook up?” Nino asked as he and Alya walked over. 

“Nothing,” he sighed. 

Alya fixed her eyes on Adrien’s gaze. “Marinette and Luka?  _ Oh! _ ”

“What? What did I miss? What about Luka and Marinette?” Nino asked, looking from Alya, to Marinette, to Adrien. “Guys, what’d I miss?”

“I think Adrien has a  _ crush _ ,” Alya sing-songed. 

His face flushed red. “What? No. No, I don’t. Besides, she’s with Luka. Even if I did have a crush on her, she wouldn’t just leave him for me. Would she?”

Alya’s lips twitched into a sad smile. “At the beginning, I would have said yes without a doubt. Now? Now, I’m not so sure, Adrien. She really likes him.”

Nino clapped him on the back. “Don’t worry man,” he said. “We won’t tell her anything. Now, come on. Alya said the Dupain-Chengs have pastries for us.”

~~~

Chloe barged into the LeCuyer School, book tucked under her jacket. 

“Hey, welcome back,” one of the dancers said, stretching out her legs. “Madame’s not here today, she had a family problem this morning and decided to stay home. I can give you her address if you want.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay,” Chloe said. “Could you just… could you give this book back to her? And tell her it helped a lot?”

The dancer smiled and took the yellow book. “I’d be happy to, Miss Bourgeois.”

Chloe smiled back, feeling her stomach flutter. “Thank you.”

~~~

“This akuma needs more than just the two of us,” Chat Noir said as he ducked out of the way of the giant stop sign the akumatized crossing guard wielded. 

“I agree,” Ladybug replied, flipping out of the way. “Queen Bee? Or Rena Rouge?”

“Go get Queen Bee. I’ll stall, M’Lady.”

Ladybug nodded and swung towards Master Fu’s house to get the Miraculous. Somehow, he already knew what was going on. He handed Marinette the box and she swung her way through the city, towards Le Grand Paris. 

“Chloe,” Ladybug said, standing in the girl’s window. “We need you to take up the mantle of Queen Bee again.”

Of course, Chloe agreed. The two swung back to the Champs-Elysees, where Chat Noir was still stalling the crossing guard. 

“We’re here!” Ladybug said. “Alright, Queen Bee, you go left, I’ll go right.”

“Got it.”

The three banded together and were able to save the victim and purify the akuma. Chloe handed Ladybug back the hair comb, slightly disappointed, but she gave it back nonetheless.

“Until next time,” Ladybug said, closing up the box.

“Until next time,” Chloe agreed. Ladybug’s earrings beeped. “You might want to get out of here, though.”

Ladybug smiled before swinging through the city again. Chloe just watched her in awe. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at some point i'm going to end up having cameos from all of the classmates i can see it now


	13. Chapter 13

Ladybug sat on top of the Eiffel Tower, staring out at the Seine as a boat drove by, tourists laughing and pointing out the sights. The afternoon sun beat down on the river, casting a glare. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Chat Noir land on the tower next to her. 

“M’Lady? Are you alright?”

“Hmm?” She turned around to see her partner leaning against a pillar, concern etched onto his face. “Oh, yes. I’m fine.” She looked back at the river, fading back into her thoughts. 

Chat sat down next to her, gently wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “You don’t seem like it. What’s wrong?”

She sighed, watching as another boat went passed. “My boyfriend broke up with me today.”

Chat felt his heart clench. “Your-your boyfriend? You have a boyfriend?”

“Had,” she said, shaking her head. “We were together for almost four months. I just never mentioned it to you because it never came up.” She rubbed her face. “He didn’t even tell me why he was breaking up with me.” She shook her head again, resting her chin on her knees.

Chat gently tugged her into his side, rubbing her shoulder gently. “Well, whoever he is, he doesn’t know what he just lost. You’re too good for him anyway.”

Ladybug gave him a sad smile. “Thanks, Minou.”

Chat kissed the top of her head. “How about you go home, okay? Get some ice cream, put on a comedy, and just let yourself relax. Take some you-time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s just patrol,” Chat assured her. “I got this. Cat’s Honor.”

Ladybug smiled at her best friend. “Thank you.” She gave his hand a quick squeeze before zipping through the city. She dropped onto her bedroom balcony and detransformed. She climbed back into her room and flopped onto her bed before texting Alya. She sighed and rested face-first against her pillow. 

Her phone started buzzing and she groaned, tapping the answer icon. “Hello?”

“Girl, what do you mean Luka broke up with you? When? How? Did he tell you why?”

Marinette sighed. “This morning. And no, he didn’t tell me why.”

“Did he at least do it in person?”

“What? Yes, of course. He’s not a complete jerk. He came by the bakery this morning.”

“In your own home?” Alya screeched from the other end. 

“Alya, relax,” Marinette said, sitting up in her bed. “Maman was standing in the back and heard everything. She closed the shop and took me back upstairs. Papa and I played Mecha Strike for a while, then I decided to go for a walk.”

“I’m on my way over,” Alya decided. “You can’t stop me, I’ll pick up some ice cream along the way.”

“Alya-”

“You can’t stop me, Marinette. I am a supportive friend and I will not let my best friend deal with her first break up alone.”

Marinette smiled in spite of herself. “Okay. I’ll see you when you get here. Love you.”

“Love you, too, girl,” Alya chimed before the two hung up. Before Marinette knew it, Alya was barging into her bedroom, a shopping bag in hand. “I’m here!”

“I see that,” Marinette laughed. “What’s in the bag?”

“Mint chip,” Alya said, pulling a carton out, “plastic spoons, and some fast food.”

Marinette smiled. “You’re the best.”

“I know. Now, let’s watch old horror movies and make fun of the special effects.”

~~~

Adrien was pacing the floor of Amelia’s apartment. “She had a boyfriend. Ladybug had a boyfriend!”

“I know.”

“You know? You know? How do you know?”

“Because my wife told her not to wait around for her crush and to experience teenage life.” She rolled her eyes. “I love her, but she likes to meddle a bit too much.”

“You should have seen her, Amelia! She looked so broken and sad! And then I started feeling conflicted because I might have feelings for my friend Marinette- she’s actually starting at the school next fall- but I feel guilty because I still love Ladybug and I don’t want to like both of them at the same time because that’s a shitty thing to do-”

“Whoa, Adrien, slow down,” Amelia said, tapping his hand. “It’s fine. Look, you’re a kid. And having crushes on two people at once is something that kids do. I remember liking my Ladybug and this other girl at the same time. It’s normal to be confused about your feelings.”

Adrien opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by his phone chiming. He pulled it out of his pocket to read the text.

**Nino: dude alya just told me luka dumped marinette**

**Nino: we’re all going out to dinner with her tonight if you want to come**

Adrien looked from his phone to Amelia. “So, I’m gonna duck out.”

Amelia laughed. “Go ahead. Go take care of whatever it is.”

“Thanks.” 

**Adrien: I’ll be there**

He grabbed a cookie off the plate and called Plagg. “Claws out!” Adrien lept out of the window and jumped across the Parisian rooftops towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery. 

Chat Noir peered into the skylight, careful not to be seen. He sighed in relief when he saw Marinette laughing with Alya. She was happy, at least visibly. And that set his mind at ease. He smiled to himself and lept off the roof, heading back to his own home.

~~~

“Hey, Marinette,” Nino said when she and Alya got to the restaurant. She kissed her cheek before taking his girlfriend’s hand. “Adrien should be here in a few minutes.”

“Is it just the four of us?” Marinette asked. 

“No, Juleka, Rose, Alix, and Mylene are already at the table. I was sent out here to wait for you.”

“Juleka’s here? Won’t-won’t that be a little awkward? I mean, it was her brother that just dumped me.”

Nino smiled and shook his head. “No. She’s your friend, Mari. She promised not to take sides in this.”

Marinette went to argue, but before she could Adrien ran into the restaurant. “I’m not late, am I?” he asked, skidding to a halt. 

“Nope,” Nino said. “Come on, the others are waiting.”

Nino led them to the table where all the girls were waiting, already splitting a basket of bread. When they saw Marinette, they all dropped what they were doing.

“Marinette!” Juleka yelled, jumping up and wrapping the girl in a hug. “How are you? I’m so sorry, my brother is such a jerk.”

Rose, Mylene, and Alix stood up and wrapped the girl in a hug as well. They all doted on Marinette, making sure she was okay. After she shook the girls off, they all sat down to order. Marinette sat in between Alya and Adrien, with Nino on Alya’s other side. When the bill for their meal came, they refused to let Marinette pay for anything, claiming it was their treat. After the meal, they all decided to wander the city for a while, talking and joking with each other. 

Marinette realized just how lucky she was to have the amazing friends that she did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do giant time jumps, I'm so sorry


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This goes off of her being 13/14 at the start of the show and the french grade system. 13-year-olds are still in college (u.s. middle school equivalent) at 13 and 14

“Two more months until summer vacation!” Alya said when she and Marinette walked into the sweltering school building. “What are you doing for the summer? Working at the bakery?”

“Most likely,” Marinette said. “And getting ready to attend the LeCuyer School.”

“Wait, you’re actually doing that?”

“Well, yeah. We finalized the paperwork ages ago. I’ll still be here, though. At least until I’m old enough to be a resident student.”

“You’ll still visit us all the time, right?” 

Marinette laughed at her friend. “Alya, it’s not like I’m moving to a different city. I’m just going to a different school for Premiere and Terminale. Besides, we still have three years after this one’s over. I’ll still be here for classes next year. They don’t let first year Lycee students be residents.”

Alya huffed. “Fine. Come on, we have to get to Chemistry.”

They got into the classroom, early, and settled into their seats. Adrien and Nino turned around to talk to the two girls. 

“What did you get for number seven?” Nino asked. “We couldn’t figure it out.”

Alya took the paper and looked over it. “Well, your math isn’t correct. Here.” She slid her paper to them so they could make the corrections. 

“I hate scientific notation,” Adrien mumbled. 

The teacher walked in, so the group stopped chatting and focused on the lesson. 

~~~

“Hey, Alya, have you seen Marinette?” Adrien asked the auburn girl after school. 

“Yeah, she’s staying back to work in the art room. She wanted to work on her new hat here today.”

“Thanks!” Adrien started to turn around, but Alya caught his arm. 

“What’s got you all excited there, Agreste?”

“Oh, I just, I needed to talk to her about something.”

“Tell me first.”

“Why? She’ll just tell you later. I know how your friendship works, Alya.”

Alya laughed. “True. Okay, I’ll let you go. I gotta meet Nino anyway.”

Adrien headed up the stairs towards the art room and took a deep breath before walking through the door. Alix waved to him from where she was spray-painting the wall again. He waved back before looking over towards Marinette, only to see her talking on the phone. 

“Wait, you’re serious? Oh, my gosh, yes! Wait, I should talk to my parents first. Can I call back when I have their answer? Oh, yes, thank you!” 

She hung up and squealed. Rose ran over to her. “What was that, Marinette?”

“Well, you know how I designed the ball gown for the LeCuyer School’s production of  _ Beauty and the Beast _ ?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, they liked it so much they want me to become a resident student a year early!” The girls squealed together as Alix ran over to join the conversation. “Apparently they were so impressed at the quality I was able to make in the short timeframe. And the girl playing Belle, Margot, told them that she actually felt comfortable dancing in it and she could wear it for a while without the corset becoming uncomfortable!” All three girls squealed. “Oh, I should head home and ask my parents if I can! Bye, guys!” She ran for the door, bumping into Adrien. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I- Hey, what are you still doing here?”

“Oh, uh, I just wanted to tell you something, but it-it can wait. I know you’re kind of in a hurry right now.”

“What? No, I can wait a few minutes if you need to talk to me.”

“Oh, no, realy. It’s okay. I was just gonna ask you about the Lit homework.” Adrien scratched the back of his neck and traced a line on the floor with his shoe. “I can just text you later.”

On any other day, Marinette would have been suspicious and saw through his lie. But she was over the moon and didn’t notice his nervousness. “You sure?” she asked with a smile. “I can help you now.”

“No, no, I’m really fine.” He rested his hand on her shoulder, smiling at how happy she looked. “Go ask your parents about the residency.”

Marinette smiled and kissed Adrien’s kiss in farewell before running down the stairs and out of the building towards the bakery. Adrien sighed, his shoulders slumping. Maybe he could get the courage to tell her tomorrow.

~~~

“And you’re sure you’d be okay living away from home?” Tom asked his daughter as they sat in the living room, discussing the residency. 

“I’m sure,” Marinette said. “Besides, it’s not like I’d be leaving the country. Remember when Madame Bourgeois wanted to take me with her to New York? I turned it down because I didn’t want to leave Paris. But I wouldn’t be leaving Paris. I’d be in the next neighborhood over. I can still come home most weekends and after school before things really pick up for productions. And we can have visitors for up to two days, so if I couldn’t leave the school, you guys could still visit.”

Sabine smiled, squeezing her husband’s hand. “Well, it seems like you’ve really thought this through. How can we say no? Go call them back.”

Marinette squealed and ran up to her room to get her phone off her desk. She started dialing when she heard tapping from her skylight. 

“Chat!” she said when she noticed the leather-clad superhero smiling at her, his tail flicking happily. She opened the window and he jumped down. “What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“Well, I got a little tip that you got accepted into the LeCuyer School of Theatre as a resident student. I came by to congratulate you.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks. I’m-I’m pretty excited. It’s really hard to get a spot as a resident student the first year of lycee.”

“I’m proud of you, princess.”

Marinette smiled. “Oh! I have to actually call them now!” She finished dialing the number and waited for someone to pick up. Chat smiled at the excited girl who was barely restraining herself from jumping up and down. “Hi, this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng? I’m calling to say I accept the residency position.” If it was possible, she started smiling even wider. “Wonderful. I can be there in about twenty minutes.” She hung up the phone, still smiling. “They want me to go pick out my dorm and finish up with some paperwork.”

“Well, I’ll let you go, then.” He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Until next time.”


	15. Chapter 15

Ladybug swung around the city with her yo-yo. There was no akuma, no need for patrol. She was just running over the rooftops in pure joy. She jumped off a roof, skidding onto the next one with a smile and a whoop. 

“Someone’s in a good mood,” Chat Noir said from behind her.

Ladybug turned around and ran over to Chat, wrapping her arms around him. “I got some amazing news today! I don’t want to say too much about it because it would give my identity away, but oh my gosh!”

Chat smiled as Ladybug pulled away. “I’m so happy for you, M’Lady. Is there anything about it you can tell me?”

She chewed her lip. “Well, I got into this amazing school for lycee. It’s a few neighborhoods away from where I live now, so I’ll still be in Paris. It does a lot to prepare you for the real world, which is so exciting!”

Chat Noir smiled at his partner. “That’s wonderful. I don’t suppose you’d tell me what school it is?”

Ladybug only laughed. “Silly kitty. That would make it so easy for you to find out who I am. Not many people my age got in this year.”

He hummed to himself. “Alright, fine.” He game Marinette a sly smirk. “Bet I can beat you to the Eiffel Tower.”

“Oh, you’re  _ on _ , Kitty!”

The two bounded across the rooftops of Paris, racing to the Eiffel Tower. They were pretty evenly matched, but every once in a while, someone pulled ahead. At the end, Ladybug ended up reaching the tower just a second before Chat. 

When Adrien got back to his room that night, he noticed his phone buzzing off the hook. The class group chat was blowing up, though it was mostly the girls talking. Adrien scrolled up to the top to find out what was going on. Apparently, Marinette told everyone about the early residency. Alya was the first one to reply back and start spamming Marinette about information. The rest joined in with notes of congratulations, asking more information which Marinette promised to give them the next day.

Marinette delivered on her promise. She got to school early the next day nad was surrounded by the class, telling them about the school and her apartment. 

“Is it huge?” Alix asked, sitting on the girl’s desk. 

“Not really. It has one bedroom, an office, one bath, and a living room and kitchen. It’s smaller than where I live now, but for just me, it feels huge.”

“How much closet space do you have?” Chloe asked. 

“Enough,” Marinette said. “And if I need more, I can just get a dresser.”

“So, do you have a roommate?” Mylene asked. 

“Nope, I was one of the lucky ones. Each year has their own area of apartments and there aren’t a lot of early residents this year, so I get to live alone, at least until next year.”

“When can you move in?” Alya asked. “You know we’re all going to help.”

“The 16th of July. I have to wait for all the terminale students to move out. Whatever apartment you start in is the one you finish in, so they rotate blocks.”

“So, you won’t be at school with us next year,” Nino said, leaning against the table. 

“You better promise to make time for us,” Alix told Marinette. 

“I promise, I promise,” she laughed. “And it’s not like I’m leaving the city. I’m just a few neighborhoods away.”

“Do we get discount tickets to shows?” Nino asked. “You know, since we know the costume designer?” 

“I’m not the only costume designer, Nino. There’s at least five other design students, and they’re all older than me. But yes, I could get you a friends-and-family discount. They give all the kids coupon codes for the online sales.”

“Awesome.”

“So, what’s your food situation?” Alya asked. “Do you have to go shopping on your own? And if you do, what about a job?”

“I’m gonna pick up a job at the fabric supply store down the street. And our school ID gives us discounts at the grocery stores in town.”

Alya pouted. “Well, I guess you’re all set to leave us next year.”

“Aw, come on, Alya. You know I’m still going to be around. I promise, every Friday night when I’m not working will be girls’ night.”

“All right. I guess.” 

Marinette smiled and hugged her best friend. “Well, I’m gonna go grab a water bottle before class starts.”

After Marinette got up and the others scattered, Nino and Alya turned to a remarkably silent Adrien. 

“What’s up with you, man?” Nino asked. “You didn’t comment on any of that. I would have thought you would ask her something.”

Adrien shrugged. “You guys covered it all. And she looked so happy talking about it. Did you see the way her eyes lit up?”

Alya shook her head. “Just ask her out already, Adrien. I’m telling you, she’ll say yes.”

Adrien opened his mouth to reply, but Marinette came bouncing back in before he could. 

“Oh, that’s what I wanted to tell you guys. At the end of the month, they’re having a cabaret night. Madame LeCuyer convinced me to sign up. You guys should come. There’s food and raffle baskets, too.”

“Cool. We’ll check it out, definitely,” Nino promised as Marinette handed him a flyer.

“Adrien? How about you?” she asked, handing the blond a flyer.

“I’ll try and convince my father to let me go,” he promised.


	16. Chapter 16

“You excited for tonight, Marinette?” Clarisse asked the girl, handing her a water bottle as the techies set up the stage.

“Yeah. I’m a bit nervous, though. I’ve-I’ve never performed for an audience before. And my friends are coming.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better,” Clarisse said, “we did the screening process to make sure you were good. A lot of non-acting students are good singers, but they don’t like being onstage all the time. You’re  _ good _ , Marinette. If you wanted, we could easily put you into the acting program, or at least the choir.”

Marinette smiled and uncapped the water. “I’ll think about it,” she promised. “Can’t say I’ll choose to join, but I’ll think about it.”

“Good. You know your song?”

“By heart.”

Clarisse smiled and looked over her clipboard. “Well, you’re up third. You got some time to practice if you want.”

“Thanks. I think I will.” Marinette walked off to the rooms marked PRACTICE and Clarisse smiled at the girl before going over the checklist for the night. Everything was perfectly in place, which made her uneasy. Something was bound to go wrong, she could feel it. Maybe it was just her old superhero paranoia playing tricks on her mind again.

~~~

“This is so exciting!” Alya said as the trio walked into the cafe the cabaret night was being held in. “Mari’s gonna be singing on a stage!”

“I know!” Adrien said as he held the door for the others. “I didn’t know Marinette sang.”

“Oh, she used to, all the time,” Nino said. “She used to be in the school choir before Chloe forced her to quit.”

“Chloe forced her to quit?”

“Yeah. But it’s water under the bridge. Marinette shook herself off pretty quickly, as she did with everything Chloe used to throw at her. Come on, let’s grab some seats near the front before they all get taken.”

The group made their way to a table right by the stage and ordered themselves some snacks for the table. They talked for a while as the rest of the audience filled the cafe. Before they knew it, Clarisse LeCuyer was stepping onto the stage. 

“Hello, everyone,” she said into the microphone. “Welcome to our third annual end-of-the-year cabaret. As always, all the proceeds from tonight’s event will go towards our Tiny Tots Summer Program, our theatre program for children under 12. At the end of this summer, our Tiny Tots will be performing Matilda! Ticket sales start on the 10th of July! Now, without further ado, you know her as Belle, please give a hand for miss Margot Babin!” She stepped off to the side as Margot took her place center stage. 

Before too long, Clarisse stepped back up to the stage to introduce Marinette. “Now, this girl is a dear friend of mine. She constructed the yellow ball gown for us out of the goodness of her heart and she did it all by herself. Please welcome miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

Alya, Adrien and Nino cheered as loud as they could. Alya pulled out her phone and opened her camera as Marinette took center stage. 

Marinette closed her eyes and pictured the song in her head before she nodded to the piano player. Marinette swayed slightly as the intro played and she counted the measures in her head. 

“ _ Guess mine is not the first heart broken. My eyes are not the first to cry. I'm not the first to know, there's just no getting over you. You know I'm just a fool who's willing to sit around and wait for you. But, baby, can't you see there's nothing else for me to do? I'm hopelessly devoted to you… _ ” Marinette poured her heart into the song, her soprano voice carrying beautifully through the cafe as she belted the song, trying not to focus on her friends in the front row, specifically Adrien. When she sang the final notes, she let her shoulders slump and looked down at the floor. She smiled to herself, feeling proud as the applause floated up to her. 

“That’s my girl!” Alya yelled while Adrien and Nino cheered. “Yes, Marinette!” 

~~~

“Marinette, you were amazing,” Margot told the girl in the backstage area. “Truly wonderful. So, were you thinking about anyone specific when you sang that?”

“Maybe,” Marinette said, her face flushing.

“The blond in the front row?”

“...yeah. How’d you know?”

Margot smiled at her. “I’m intuitive. And, just so you know, he couldn’t take his eyes off you for a second. Go talk to him after the show.”

“I don’t-”

“Trust me, Marinette. I know what I’m talking about.”

“Alright. I’ll talk to him.”

“Good. You want some nachos? I’m gonna go buy some food. We’re gonna be here a while, getting through everyone’s songs.”

“Sure. Want me to come with you, help carry things?”

“If you want.”

The two snuck out of the wings and made their way over to the counter of the cafe. Margot ordered some food and drinks to sneak backstage, splitting the load with Marinette. They tried to make it back without being spotted, but they had no such luck. Marinette walked right into Adrien as he was heading to the counter himself. 

“Hey, Marinette!” he said when he noticed it was her. “You were amazing! Really amazing.”

“Here, I’ll take these,” Margot said, taking the drinks from Marinette. “Go talk with your friends. You don’t even technically have to stay anymore.”

“Mar-”

“Oh, good, I actually wanted to talk to you about something, Marinette,” Adrien said. “Can we step outside for a few minutes?”

“Sure, I guess.” She followed Adrien outside the cafe and sat with him at the patio tables. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, I actually wanted to tell you at school the other day, but then you got the call about the school and-”

“Adrien, you’re rambling. You’re starting to sound like me. What’s going on?”

He picked at his sleeve and looked up at the night sky before scratching the back of his neck. He took a deep breath before focusing back on Marinette. He focused on her beautiful blue eyes and how she looked at him with worry. 

“I’m in love with two different girls and I don’t know what to do,” he finally said.


	17. Chapter 17

 

“You’re- what? Adrien, what? Why is this-”

“You’re one of them, Marinette.”

The girl stumbled back, tripping on her own feet. Adrien reached his arm out and gripped her wrist, helping to steady her. 

“Wha-what, what, what what?” she sputtered. “When-when did-”

“I realized when you were dating Luka.”

“Luka? When I was- Luka?”

“I didn’t realize I love you until you slipped away from me. I’m an idiot, I know. And I know I’m, like, dropping this huge bomb on you and I don’t expect you to say you like me back, but I just needed to tell you. It was eating me up inside and I needed to tell you.”

“I-I,” Marinette stuttered, eyes wide. “I don’t… I have to go.” She took off, sprinting down the street. She ducked into an alley and transformed into Ladybug. 

Ladybug lept onto a rooftop and sank down, pulling her knees to her chest. “What just happened?” She took a few deep breath to settle her heart before swinging through the city towards the Eiffel Tower. She sighed and tucked her legs underneath herself, staring out at the night skyline. 

“M’Lady? What are you doing out here?” Chat Noir asked, sitting down next to her. 

“I needed to get away from my civilian life. My friend told me something that I… I wasn’t expecting. I kinda panicked and ran off and I feel bad about it now but I needed to get away and think.”

“Well, what did your friend say?”

“He… He told me he loved me. That he was  _ in love _ with me.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“I don’t know,” Ladybug admitted. “I mean, I had a crush on him for the longest time and I definitely have loving feelings for him. I just don’t know if I still like him like that.”

“Well, why don’t you tell him that?”

“Oh, just the way he looked at me, Chat. He looked at me like I was his world. He cares about me so much, I couldn’t break his heart like that.” She looked out at the glowing lights along the river. 

Chat took her hand in his. “Well, if it were me,” he said, thinking back to what he told Marinette earlier, “I would want to know the truth. So I wasn’t sitting around wondering what you were thinking.”

Ladybug sighed. “You’re right. I know you’re right.” She looked over at Chat and realized how he and Adrien looked at her the same exact way. She felt her stomach flutter a bit, furthering her confusion. “I should get going. Thank you, Chat.” She kissed her partner’s cheek before swinging back through the city, towards the bakery. 

Ladybug dropped onto the balcony and detransformed, slumping into the chair. “Ugh, Tikki, why does Chat have to be right? Why do emotions have to be complicated?”

“I don’t know, Marinette,” Tikki said, nuzzling Marinette’s cheek. “But you do need to call Adrien. Call him, don’t text him. See if you can video-chat, since you can’t meet up with him at eleven at night.”

Marinette sighed and pulled out her phone, seeing tons of missed calls and texts  from her friends, all congratulating her after Alya posted the video of her singing to her blog. She scrolled through her contacts until she found Adrien’s number. 

**Marinette: hey can you video chat right now? We need to talk about earlier**

**Adrien: sure. Give me five minutes.**

After exactly five minutes, Marinette’s phone rang with a video call. She took a deep breath and answered. 

“Hey,” she said, rubbing her arm. “Sorry I ran off earlier. I just, I needed time to process.”

“I get it,” Adrien said, not taking his eyes off Marinette for a second. “I kinda sprung that on you, it wasn’t fair of me.”

“I just, oh, god, this is so hard.” Marinette looked down at her lap before looking back at the phone. “Adrien, I-”

“You don’t feel the same way,” he suggested. “You only see me as a friend, right?” He smiled at Marinette. “It’s alright, Mari. I’ll just have to tell Alya she was wrong.”

“Wait a minute, Adrien,” she said. “Do not put words in my mouth. And what does Alya have to do with this?”

Adrien, for the first time since the call started, looked away from Marinette. “She, uh, she said that I should tell you how I feel, because at one point you felt this way.”

Marinette took a deep breath at that revelation. “I’m gonna kill her,” she muttered halfheartedly. “And I wanted to tell you that I have some conflicting emotions right now. Of course, a part of me still loves you as more than a friend. But I don’t want to get into a relationship if I know my partner is in love with someone else. I don’t want to go in with the mentality of ‘I can make them forget the other person.’ I’m not like that. I wouldn’t feel right.”

Adrien nodded, ignoring the pain in his heart. “I get it. Hey, this isn’t going to make things weird between us, right?”

“I don’t know,” Marinette said. “Maybe for the first couple of days it’ll be a little awkward. But we’ll get over any awkward patch we hit.”

Adrien smiled at her. “Right. Well, I should get going. I have a photoshoot early tomorrow morning. But I’ll see you on Monday, right?”

“Of course,” Marinette said. “I’ll talk to you later. Bye, Adrien.”

“Bye-bye, Mari.”

Marinette hung up the phone and sighed. As she slid her phone back into her pocket, she felt a tear slide down her cheek. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, wiping her face. 

“What’s the matter,  _ purr _ -incess?” a familiar voice said from the roof. “Was that a tear I saw?”

“Yeah, I’m-I’m fine,” she said, rubbing her temples. “Just had a rough day is all.”

Chat Noir dropped down onto the balcony next to her. “Well, I saw that video of you singing,” he said. “You friend Alya posted it on her blog. Your voice is beautiful, Marinette.”

“Thanks,” she said, staring out at the city. Chat was reminded of how Ladybug did that when she had a lot on her mind. 

“You seemed pretty emotional about it. Were you thinking about anyone in particular when you were singing?”

Marinette nodded. “I guess there’s no harm in telling you. I was, uh, I was thinking about my friend Adrien.”

Chat’s eyes widened as his heart rate picked up. “Adrien? Adrien Agreste?”

Marinette nodded again. “Yeah. I’ve loved him for a while. I thought I was over him, but then tonight, after my performance, he told me he had feelings for me. But he also has feelings for another girl.” She shook her head. “I realized I’m still head-over-heels for him, but he loves another girl, I wouldn’t feel right dating him if he was also thinking about this girl, whoever she is.” Marinette sighed. “So I’m probably gonna be all awkward and stuttery around him for a while until I get over this. Which sucks, because I finally stopped acting weird around him because I accepted he only saw me as a friend. It made it easier for me to see him that way, too. But now? Now I’m back to square one and more confused than ever.” She groaned and rubbed her face, fighting the hot tears building in her eyes. 

“Do you need a hug, Mari?” Chat asked, taking a cautious step towards her. When she nodded, he walked over and sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her. Marinette rested her forehead on his shoulder, closing her eyes. Chat gently rubbed her back with his claws, pretending not to notice the tears falling onto his suit.

Marinette’s breathing became more steady as she started calming down, still in Chat’s embrace. She felt comfortable with him. She didn’t even feel embarrassed about crying on him. 

_ Uh-oh, _ Marinette thought.  _ I’m in love with Chat Noir. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These oblivious kiddos sure are in a bit of a mess now


	18. Chapter 18

“So, I told her. I told Marinette,” Adrien said, walking into Amelia’s apartment. “It didn’t go too well.” He flopped onto the couch, earning a soft smile from Amelia. 

“Why don’t you tell me what happened while I make you some tea?” Amelia patted his leg before getting up. Cornelius jumped onto the couch, taking Amelia’s place next to Adrien. 

Adrien started absent-mindedly petting the cat. “She sang at Clarisse’s thing tonight and gosh, she looked absolutely beautiful up on that stage, she looked so happy and peaceful. But I caught her after she performed her part and I told her I needed to talk to her. So we went outside and I told her. Then she ran off and I didn’t hear from her for like three hours. I talked with Ladybug when I found her and apparently she’s going through something similar. Thank you,” he said as he accepted the chamomile tea from Amelia. “After I got home, I video-chatted with her and she said she didn’t want to date me if I was in love with someone else, but how can I just drop my feelings for Ladybug?”

“Oh, boy,” Amelia said, lightly rubbing her forehead. “This is a little more complicated than I thought.” She picked up the cat and sat back on the couch. “How are you feeling, Adrien?”

“I… I don’t know. I mean, I love her, I really do. And, you know, I’m completely crushed she doesn’t feel the way I do, but I’m not going to stop being friends with her.” He scratched Cornelius’s back. “I’m still torn between her and Ladybug. I love them both, so much.”

Amelia smiled at him. “Life gets complicated, Adrien. You get feelings for people, and they don’t always feel the same. Or sometimes, they’re just as confused as you are. Give Marinette some time, okay? I promise you, eventually, she’ll come around.”

~~~

Marinette woke up and could barely lift her head. Her nose was stuffy and her head was pounding. She rested her forearm against her forehead, feeling the skin burning up. She was freezing, but sweat coated her arms. 

“Great,” she mumbled, her throat scratchy and sore. She wrapped her blanket around her and walked out to the kitchen where her mother was making breakfast. “Maman, I don’t feel good.”

“You don’t look so good, Mari,” Sabine said after turning around and observing her daughter. She rested her lips against Marinette’s forehead, her arm against the back of Marinette’s neck. “You’re burning up. I think you might have the flu.”

“That’s not fair,” Marinette whined. “I got the flu shot!”

Sabine hummed. “I know. Go crawl back in bed, okay? I’ll call the school and tell then you’re sick.”

Marinette nodded and retreated back to her room, grabbing her phone on the way to her bed. 

**Marinette: i have the flu i’m going to be home sick. can you bring my my homework?**

**Alya: i can’t girl. i have to go with the twins to the park this afternoon. I’ll ask someone else, okay?**

**Marinette: k**

Marinette sighed, laying back in her bed as her head throbbed. She started to drift off to sleep when Sabine came in with a water bottle and some medicine.

“Here you go, sweetheart,” Sabine said, handing her the bottle and some pills. “These should help a little bit.” She kissed Marinette’s forehead. “I’ll come check on you in a few hours, okay?”

Marinette sighed and covered her face with her pillow, blocking out the light in her bedroom. Tikki was curled up next to her face, rubbing Marinette’s cheek softly. She was almost asleep when she heard screaming from the streets outside. 

“Tikki, what’s happening?” she asked, holding her head in her hands. She picked her head up and looked out the window, seeing a giant skeleton walking down the street. “Tikki-”

“Marinette, you’re sick, don’t-”

“-spots on.”

For the first time since Marinette has had her, Tikki struggled before transforming Marinette. Ladybug sneezed once before climbing out the window and leaping off the balcony, into the thick of the fight. When she got there, Chat Noir was already battling the akuma victim.

“About time, M’Lady,” Chat said, swinging his baton around. 

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Ladybug said, coughing from the exertion. “Would have been here sooner, but I’m a little sick.” She sniffled. “Let’s just get this over with, okay?” Marinette looked at the skeleton, searching for a possible akuma. “Where is it? Where is it?” she muttered before her eyes fell on the bone in its hand. “There. Chat! I have a plan! Can you get close enough to the bone in his hand to cataclysm it?”

“I can try,” Chat said. “For a big ol’ pile of bones, he’s pretty nimble and quick.”

Ladybug rubbed her face and sighed, fighting back her throbbing headache. “I can catch his arms in my yo-yo, that should help some.” Chat nodded and lept towards the akuma as Ladybug swung her yo-yo out. She tied the arms of the skeleton, allowing Chat to use his cataclysm on the weapon. 

Ladybug captured the butterfly and purified it before resting her head against the wall behind her. Chat helped the paleontologist stand up and sort himself out while Ladybug tried to stop the spinning she felt. 

“You okay?” Chat Noir asked his partner, walking back over to where she was.

“Fine, I’m fine,” she waved him off.

“Can you get back home safely? Do you need help?”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I’m a big girl. I can do it.”

“Do you  _ want  _ help?” Chat offered instead.

Ladybug, in a moment of weakness, not thinking clearly, she nodded. “I live right by Françoise Dupont High School. Just… just drop me off by the bakery, okay?”

“The bakery?”

“Yeah, the Dupain-Cheng bakery right across the street.”

“Yeah, I know it,” Chat said, looking over Ladybug with renewed interest. He started noticing some similarities between his partner and his friend, who was absent from school because she was sick. “I’m-I’m familiar with the area. Come on.” He wrapped his arms around her and lept through the city towards Marinette’s house. He dropped Ladybug off a few buildings down.

“Thank you, Chat,” Ladybug said. “I-I appreciate this.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Chat assured her. “Well, I gotta get going. I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Ladybug agreed. 

Chat lept away, but not before making sure Ladybug was okay. When he saw a flash of pink light in his peripheral vision, he glanced back to see a sick Marinette leaning against the rail of her balcony.  

 

It was either a crazy coincidence, or he was right in his suspicions. 


	19. Chapter 19

“So, you are actually sick,” Alya said from Marinette’s doorway. “I thought that maybe you were avoiding Adrien.”

“What do you mean?” Marinette said, sitting up in her bed and setting her icepack on the nightstand. “And didn’t you have to take the twins to the park?”

“Nino told me what happened Saturday night. And they were too freaked out by the akuma, so I’m taking them tomorrow.”

Marinette sighed as Alya sat on her bed. “Girl, why didn’t you tell me? I mean, he admitted to you that he was in love with you. I thought you would have jumped on the chance to be with that boy.”

“It’s not that simple, Alya,” Marinette said, popping a cough drop in her mouth. “He said he was in love with another girl, too.”

“Yeah, and? You were still in love with him while you were dating Luka.”

“But it’s different,” Marinette said. “I couldn’t date him if I knew his feelings were split, you know? With Luka, I knew his feelings were only for me, despite my mind being a muddled mess the first few weeks. And even though I eventually got myself over Adrien, I could still see how it hurt Luka.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to go through that.” She rubbed her forehead, her headache coming back with a vengeance. “I just gotta move on, y’know?”

Alya smiled sadly. “Yeah, I guess I do. Well, here’s today’s homework. You gonna be back tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, Al,” Marinette admitted. “Probably not.”

“Well, if you’re not, I’ll have Nino bring you the work tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll let you go.” Alya kissed Marinette’s forehead before heading out. Marinette sighed and looked at the window leading to her balcony. 

Tikki floated up to her. “Marinette, you realize what you did today, right?”

“What? Coughed up my internal organs?”

“No, you practically led Chat Noir to your house. He’s probably going to put the pieces together of who you are now.”

“What? I-I did what? Oh, my god! Tikki, what do I do? How do I throw him off?”

“I don’t know, Marinette. Maybe take a roundabout way home after the next patrol? And, hey, you’re moving into your new apartment in what, six weeks? That’ll help throw him off.”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay. It’ll-it’ll all be fine. Right, Tikki? It’ll be fine.”

Tikki patted her charge’s head. “Of course. It’ll work itself out in the end, I promise.”

Marinette sighed with relief. “Okay. Okay, good. I’m gonna go to bed now. Hopefully I’ll feel better in the morning.”

Marinette didn’t feel better in the morning. If anything, she felt worse. She groaned and reached for her phone, opting to text her mother’s cell phone rather than call for her. Before too long, Sabine came into Marinette’s room. 

“Oh, sweetheart. I should make you a doctor’s appointment.” Sabine pushed Marinette’s hair off her forehead before taking her temperature. “Yep, fever. I’ll call the doctor and let the school know you’ll be out again.”

“Thanks, Maman.” Marinette rubbed her forehead, looking up at her ceiling. She hated being sick. She always felt useless if she was sick for more than just a day. She scrolled through her phone to see if anyone was doing anything interesting. Chloe posted something about her and one of the dancers from the LeCuyer School, but Marinette didn’t think twice about it. Alya posted a picture of Chat Noir carrying Ladybug through the city, but she wasn’t the only one. About ten other people posted the same picture, from different angles. Marinette felt her cheeks flush, but it wasn’t related to her being sick. She continued scrolling, absentmindedly liking her friends’ posts.

“Marinette!” Sabine called. “You have a visitor!”

Marinette combed her hair back with her fingers and pulled it up with a scrunchie. “Okay!” She immediately regretted yelling, holding her head in her hands with a groan.

“Hey,” A familiar male voice said. 

“Hi, Adrien,” Marinette said, looking up at the blond. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d go home for your lunch break.”

“Well, I figured I’d stop by and see how you’re doing. I brought you some soup.” He held up the thermos he was holding.

Marinette smiled at the thoughtful boy. “Thank you.” She took the thermos and set it on her nightstand. 

“And I brought you the morning’s homework.” He handed her some papers. “Figured since Alya couldn’t bring it over, I would.”

“Well, thank you,” Marinette said with a smile. Adrien didn’t take his eyes off her. “What?”

“Oh,” he cleared his throat. “Uh, nothing. Well, anyway, I should head back. Don’t want to be late. I hope you feel better, Mari.” He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles before heading out. Marinette’s face turned about as red as Tikki, furthering her confusion about her feelings for Adrien.

When Adrien left the bakery, he continued to think about the similarities between Marinette and Ladybug. There were more than he originally thought. He didn’t focus the rest of the day, his thoughts drifting back to Marinette. 

“Mr. Agreste!”

“Hmm? Sorry,” he said.

The teacher sighed. “I asked you what the difference was between a constitutional and absolute monarchy was.”

“Sorry, Madame,” Adrien said before answering the question. After that, he tried his best not to let his mind wander. Of course, that didn’t work too well. When the bell finally rang, Adrien all but ran out of the building. Once he got into the car waiting for him, he told his driver to take him to Amelia’s house. 

Once the car pulled up in front of the apartment building, Adrien ran up the steps, hurriedly knocking on the door. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, scratching the back of his neck. 

Clarisse opened the door. “Oh, hello, Adrien. Are you okay? You seem stressed, come in, come in.” When Adrien entered the apartment, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Does Ladybug visit you?” he asked. “Like how I visit Amelia? Does Ladybug do the same with you? Do you know who she is?”

Clarisse smiled. “Yes, Adrien. She does visit, and I do know who she is. But before you ask, her secret is not mine to tell.”

Adrien sighed. “What if… what if I guess who it is? And you tell me if I’m right or wrong?”

“Adrien, I think you already know my answer to that.”

He sighed. “Yeah. Just… Just tell me one thing. She’s not Marinette Dupain-Cheng, is she?”

Clarisse was backed into a corner. She didn’t want to lie to the boy, but she couldn’t tell him the truth. If she tried to get around the question, he’d take it as a yes. Her mind was running a mile a minute as she thought about what to say. 

“Like I said, Adrien,” she finally said, “I can’t tell you who she is. You have to trust me, okay? You’ll figure out who she is soon enough.”


	20. Chapter 20

“Okay, we have to interfere,” Clarisse said to Amelia when she got home. 

“What? Clarisse, we promised Master Fu we wouldn’t.”

“Yes, but that was before we found out how oblivious they were. I mean, it’s not like they’re complete strangers to each other. They’re really close friends. We need to intervene, just, you know, subtly.”

“I don’t know…”

“Amelia, this is tearing them both down. I’m all for letting them reveal on their own, but not at the risk of their mental health. So, I say, we give them the little push they need. They’re not like we were, they need the help.”

Amelia chewed on her lip. “Okay. I guess you’re right. But we’re going to be subtle.”

~~~

“Are you sure you have everything?” Tom asked Marinette as they loaded a small moving truck with boxes. 

“Papa, I’ll be fine. And if I am forgetting anything, I can just stop back over. I’m not going too far away.”

Tom sighed and set another box on the truck. “I know, I know. But I’m still going to miss you, kiddo.”

Marinette smiled and hugged her father. “I’ll miss you, too. I’ll call you every day after classes, okay? I promise.”

Tom sighed. “Okay. But if you don’t call us, we’ll call you.”

“I think that’s a pretty good compromise.”

“So, are your friends meeting us there?” Sabine asked, closing the door of the truck.

“Yeah. Alya’s sister is helping us, too. You know, Nora?”

“Oh, I love Nora,” Sabine said. “Are they already over there?”

“No, I told them I would text once we finished loading up the truck. Speaking of…” Marinette pulled her phone out of her bag and pulled up the group chat, sending a quick message telling everyone they were on their way.

When they got to the apartment complex, Marinette was the first to hop out of the truck. She walked over to her group of friends/classmates, who were just arriving as well. Marinette ran over and gave everyone hugs. 

“Alright, people, let’s unload this truck!” Nora said, throwing the door open. “I’ll take the furniture up. You kids start on boxes, Marinette come with me and tell me where to put things.”

Marinette followed the older girl up to her new apartment, digging the leys out of her bag and unlocking the door. “You can set the headboard my the bedroom window,” Marinette said.

“Marinette, where do you want the box labeled pictures?” Alya asked, shifting the box in her arms. “Oh, and Adrien said he was going to be a little late. Something with his dad, apparently.”

“I’m here, I’m here,” Adrien panted, running up the stairs to the apartment. “Sorry, Marinette. I would have been here sooner, but-”

“Hey, relax,” Marinette said. “It’s okay. We’ve got plenty of people to help out, we’re chill.”

“Oh, good,” he sighed. “So, what do you need me to do?”

“Uh, well, Nino and Nora are bringing up my dresser, you could see if they need any help.”

“Cool.” He ran down the steps to see what he could do. 

Marinette spent the morning directing her friends with boxes and furniture. Thankfully, everyone was able to be organized and everything was in the apartment before noon.

“Okay, anyone want pizza?” Sabine asked the group of teenagers. “Tom and I are going to get some lunch.” Her question was answered with lots of agreement. She laughed. “Alright, alright, we’ll be back soon.”

Tom and Sabine ducked out as Amelia entered the apartment. 

“Amelia!” Marinette said, running over and hugging the woman. “Guys, this is Amelia, she’s Clarisse LeCuyer’s wife, and a friend of mine.”

Adrien looked between the two. “You know Amelia, too?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said. “How do you know her?”

“Uh, she’s my private physics tutor.” Well, that was technically true, even if it wasn’t the whole story. 

“So, what are you doing here?” Marinette asked. 

“Well, Clarisse sent me to see how you were doing. How are you doing?”

‘Well, we were about to start unpacking,” Marinette said. “Want to help?”

“Oh, I’d love to,” Amelia said, “but I have to head to the office. I have an emergency session with a client today.”

“Oh, well,” Marinette said. “Hey, I can still stop by for dinner Tuesday night, right?”

“Of course. We’ll see you then, okay?”

Marinette and her friends started unpacking boxes. She had split them into groups, having the girls unpack the stuff in her room, and the guys unpack things for the kitchen. Marinette was setting pictures up in the living room with Adrien, Nino, and Alya.

“Oh, I remember this one,” Alya said, holding one of her and Marinette on a roller coaster at an amusement park. “You still look ridiculous,” she laughed. “Where do you want this?”

“Uh, on top of the television.” Marinette unwrapped a picture of the four of them watching the Bastille Day fireworks. She smiled and tried to put it up on the shelf.

“Here, I got it,” Adrien offered. He took the picture and set it on the shelf for Marinette. 

“Thanks. Can you put this one up, too?” she asked, handing him a photo of the two of them from the day she helped him hide from the press and his fans. 

Adrien smiled at the picture. “Sure.”

Alya nudged Marinette in the side. “Talk to him,” she whispered. “Your eyes are practically heart-shaped.”

“Alya-”

“Marinette, I-”

“What are you two whispering about?” Adrien asked. “What’s up?”

“Oh, I was just giving Alya some advice on what to get Nino for his birthday,” Marinette lied. She dropped her voice. “We’re not talking about this now.” She walked over to the box and pulled out the last picture, one of her and her parents. “Well, I’m gonna hang this up and go check on the girls. Can you go see if they need help in the kitchen? Alya, come with me.”

“What are you doing?” Alya asked once they were in her room with the other girls. 

“What? What’s going on?” Alix asked. 

“Marinette refuses to admit she’s still in love with Adrien.”

The girls all groaned and circled around Marinette.

“Marinette, you have to tell him how you feel,” Chloe said, surprising Marinette. “If you just keep it to yourself, you’re going to be miserable.”

“Surprisingly, Chloe’s right,” Alya said. “Do you want us to help make a plan?”

“No, no, I can do it on my own, in my own time,” Marinette insisted. “I don’t need anyone to meddle.”

“Fine. But you better do it soon, or we  _ will  _ meddle in your love life,” Alya promised. 

~~~

Ladybug was sitting on top of the Arc de Triomphe, watching over the city. She was a little stressed from all the moving, so she decided that patrol would help her calm her nerves. 

“Hey, I thought it was my night,” Chat Noir said, walking up next to her. 

“Oh, it was,” Ladybug said. “But I was kinda stressed and needed to get out of the house.”

“What’s going on?” he asked, sitting next to his partner. 

“Well, I’m in the process of moving.”

“What?!”

“Not out of Paris,” she assured him. “I’m just moving to a boarding school. So there’s the stress of that. And one of the girls I know had this, like, massive personality change for some reason? Like, i actually consider her a friend now when she made my life miserable in the past. And she gave me this great advice today and I don’t… It’s just weird, you know?”

“I guess so, yeah,” he said. “But why patrol instead of, you know, talking to one of your friends about it?”

“Because my friends are involving themselves in my love-life and if I talk to them, they’ll try to meddle some more and make things even more complicated than they already are.” She groaned and rested her head in her hands. Chat gently rubbed her back. 

“I get that. My friends love meddling, too.” He laughed a bit. “They convinced me to tell my friend I like her.” He shook his head. “And things didn’t go the way I hoped they would.”

Ladybug laughed quietly to herself. “Friends are great, aren’t they? I mean, my best friend thinks she knows everything about me. She doesn’t know about this. But I bet she wishes she did.” She smiled. “I can just picture her face if she ever found out. She would lose her shit.”

“I know what you mean,” Chat laughed. “If my friends found out I was Chat Noir, they would flip.”

Ladybug smiled. “Yeah. Well, I should get going. I have more unpacking to do and I’ve been up since six moving things over to my new place.”

“Yeah, me too. I want to stop by my friend’s place before I head home.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir said they goodbyes before heading in separate directions. Ladybug dropped down by the LeCuyer School and dropped her transformation. She sighed and walked up the stairs to her apartment, bumping into Adrien in the hallway. 

“Adrien? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was, um, I was just talking to Amelia about a physics thing.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes. “Amelia isn’t home right now. What are you  _ really  _ doing here?”

“Okay, I-I came here to see you.”

“Me? Why did you come to see me? And this late at night, too.”

“I needed to talk to you,” he said. “It’s kind of important.”

“Oh. Well, come on in,” she said, unlocking the door to her apartment. She shuffled around the boxes by the door and sat down on the couch, motioning for him to sit next to her. “What’s going on?”

“I know I told you before, but Marinette, I’m in love with you. Like in love, in love. I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s keeping me awake at night, thinking about you.”

“What-what about the other girl?”

Adrien smiled at her. “I love her like a friend, that’s all. I realized that a little while ago. You’re the one I feel for.” He reached for her hand. “I already talked my father into letting us go on a date if you say yes.”

Marinette looked at Adrien, scanning his face for any hint of a joke. All she saw was vulnerability and anxiety as he looked into her eyes. 

“I would love to,” she finally said.


	21. Surprise

“He asked you out?” Alya asked as she and Marinette walked through the city, eating crepes on their way to meet the other girls. “He actually asked you out?”

“Yeah, I ran into him in the hallway of the complex and he told me he needed to talk to me. So I invited him in and he asked me out.”

“So, where are you gonna go?”

“I don’t know,” Marinette admitted. “Probably somewhere fancy.” They got to Juleka’s family boat where the girls were packing up the instruments. 

“Hey, guys,” Alya said. “How’s Kitty Section doing?”

“We have our first official gig!” Rose announced happily. 

“That’s great!” Marinette said, hugging the girls. “Where’s Luka?”

“Oh, he had to work,” Juleka said. “So you don’t have to worry about running into him. We won’t have any repeats of last rehearsal, promise.” They all laughed at the memory of the awkward silence that surrounded the usually loud boat. 

“Adrien asked Marinette out!” Alya blurted out.

“Alya!”

“I’m sorry, Marinette, I couldn’t wait anymore!”

“Well, we have to go talk about this!” Rose said. “I mean, where is he taking you? What are you wearing? How’d he ask?”

Marinette laughed. “Why do you think we’re all getting together for lunch? Let’s go.”

~~~

Marinette was unpacking some more boxes in her new apartment, singing quietly to herself as her music played from her phone. 

“ _ Lucy in the sky with diamonds, _ ” she sang along, putting books on her shelf. Tikki was dusting spiderwebs out of the corners of the ceiling, humming along as well. 

“I see you’re settling in well,” Clarisse said from the open doorway. 

Marinette smiled and turned to face the woman. “Definitely. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited for school to start up again.”

Clarisse laughed. “Well, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your summer anyhow. Especially since you’ll be going on at least one date with Adrien Agreste.”

“How do you know about that?” Marinette asked, her face flushing. 

Clarisse smiled. “I have my ways.” She winked at Tikki.

“Tikki!” Marinette scolded. 

The kwami laughed and nudged Marinette. “Come on, Marinette. I needed to tell someone! And who better than Clarisse?”

“I guess you’re right.”

“So, how’s the move going?” Clarisse asked. “I know this is the first time you’ve really been away from home.”

“Well, it’s been pretty hard on my dad,” Marinette admitted. “BUt I’m just looking at this like any other boarding school, which is helping. I’m not thinking  _ this is my first apartment _ , I’m thinking  _ this is a dorm but I don’t have a roommate _ .”

“Smart.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, I assume you still have a bed at your parents’ place?”

“I do. But I want to get used to sleeping here before school so I don’t get as homesick.”

Clarisse smiled. “Well, good. Now, since it’s summer, you don’t have to worry about the curfew, but I’m sure you’ll be getting the handbook from your teacher in a few days.”

“You won’t be my teacher?”

“Not unless you decide to switch to performance. No, your teacher is going to be Madame Babineaux. She’s truly lovely, one of the best design teachers we have. She teaches costume and set design, as well as hair and makeup. So you’ll learn to do a bit of everything while you’re with us, but your concentration will be costuming.”

“So, I can pretty much do any design thing after I finish the school?”

“Essentially. Of course, if you decide to pursue a university education, that can also give you a leg up in the theater world.”

Marinette smiled. “I’m so excited for the year to start.” Her phone buzzed on the table. “Oh, that’s Alya. I’m supposed to meet her for lunch today.”

“Well, I’ll let you go then.” Before she left, Clarisse said, “I have some old Beatles records if you want to borrow them at some point.”

~~~

The summer went by faster than any previous summer had. Marinette and Adrien officially became a couple, and double dates with Alya and Nino were a regular thing. Before anyone really knew it, school was back in full swing. And Marinette was loving it. She was constantly busy with her classes, designing and building costumes with more care than she really had ever before, if that were possible. She still designed clothes on her time off from school. Weekends were spent with her friends, and it was a well-needed break from the chaos of the LeCuyer School.

“So, what are the costumes for this quarter’s show?” Alya asked Marinette over a plate of French Fries. “Anything super hard?”

“Well, we’re doing a show set in medieval times, so we’re working with a lot of leather for pants and men’s tops,” Marinette said, picking up a fry. “And we need to make a bunch of corsets, too.”

“Sounds like you’ve been busy.”

“Well, there’s seven of us making costumes for about 30 performers, most of them men, so yeah. And they put me in hair and makeup classes, too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they’re not too hard. The makeup is pretty much how not to make the person look like a ghost on stage. The hair can be tricky, though. We’re working on how to style wigs right now.”

“So, when do tickets come out?”

“Another month,” Marinette said, grabbing a handful of fries and stuffing them in her mouth. “We wanna get them out early so more people have a chance to buy tickets. So, what’s going on with the class?”

“Well, Lila came back.”

“Oh.”

“She’s still pretty awful.”

“Glad I don’t go there anymore,” Marinette sighed. 

~~~

“The skirts need to go over there, and the corsets need to be set on the sewing machines to finish the stitchings. Wigs and makeup supplies need to be on separate tables, people, we don’t need eyeshadow on the wigs again!” Madame Babineaux barked as the design students rushed around her. “Marinette, status update on the hats?”

“Nearly done,” Marinette said, stitching a buckle onto a hat. “Just have the final touches, then they’ll be ready to be tested for the wigs.”

“Good. Keep up the good work. Violetta! Talk to me, how’s our timing?”

“You were able to pull ahead of schedule by…” she tapped on her tablet screen, “almost a week.”

“Good, good. Hey, what’re Clarisse’s kids doing now?”

“Uh, according to the schedule, vocal warm-ups, and then two hours of vocal rehearsals.”

“So none of them can get over here for wig fittings.”

“Not until lunch hour, no.”

Madame Babineaux sighed. “All right. Marinette?”

“Yes?” Mari said, looking up from where she was stitching the buckle onto the last hat.

“Can you check on the progress on the corsets?”

“Of course.” Marinette stood up from her station and stretched before walking over to where the corsets were being hand-stitched by another first-year student. “Hi. It’s Genevieve, right?”

“Mm-hmm,” the girl said, carefully pulling the needle through the fabric. “I know why you were sent over here. I’m almost done, I promise.” She dropped the needle. “Ow! Fuck, I just pricked myself.”

“Oh, here,” Marinette said, grabbing a band-aid from a nearby table. 

“Thanks. Now I won’t get blood on it.”

Marinette chuckled at the small joke. “You need any help?”

“Well, I have two more left, but-”

People started screaming outside the building.

“Akuma! Everyone to the saferoom!” Madame Babineaux yelled. “Let’s  _ move _ , people! Upperclassmen, help with headcounts!”

Marinette managed to slip into the hallway where she ran into Clarisse.

“Go,” the older woman said. “I’ve already worked it out, it’ll be fine.”

“Thank you.” Marinette ducked into a closet and transformed into Ladybug, running out of the school. She ran straight into Chat Noir, and the two would have fallen if not for Chat’s instincts.

“Hey, careful there, bug. What were you doing at the LeCuyer School of Theatre?”

“Oh, uh, nothing,” she lied. “Let’s just get this done, okay? I have a busy civilian schedule.”

“Okay, let’s do this thing.”

The two worked together faster than they usually did. Ladybug was eager to return to her busy life. Chat sighed when they dropped onto a nearby rooftop.

“You really that eager to get away from me?” he joked. “Am I that unpleasant.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes with a smile. “You know that’s not true, Chat. I just… School is really busy, I can’t really let myself get distracted too much during the day. I don’t even have my phone  _ on  _ during the day.”

“Wow. That’s dedication.”

“Yeah, well, I love my school.” She looked across the street to where the LeCuyer School was. “I love my classes and my classmates. Love the teachers, love everything about it.”

“Wow, you kinda sound like my girlfriend,” Chat laughed. “She transferred schools this year and she’s always busy with something. I can’t even reach her until she gets home.” Chat looked up at Ladybug. “Wait a minute.” He stepped closer, looking into her eyes. “How did I not see it sooner?” he muttered to himself. “Marinette.”

“How- what- how did you-”

“Claws in,” he said.

“Adrien,” Marinette breathed.

“Hi.”

“Spots off.”


	22. To the Future

Amelia was lazily filling out paperwork when someone started pounding on the door. She sighed and collected the papers into a neat file before getting up.

“I’m coming, I’m coming, give me a minute.” She opened the door to see Adrien with his arm raised to knock, his other arm wrapped around Marinette’s shoulders. “Ah. You finally connected the dots.”

“Yeah, why didn’t you tell us?” Marinette asked.

“Why don’t you come in? I’ll fix you some tea.”

The teens came in and sat down on the couch while Amelia poured hot water into mugs. Cornelius jumped up onto Adrien’s lap and settled himself down.

“Here you go,” Amelia said, setting the mugs of tea down on the coffee table. “Now, I’m sure you’d like an explanation.” Amelia crossed her legs as she sat on the floor. “We had reasons for not telling you. I know it seems like they weren’t logical, but I assure you they were. Master Fu and the kwamis have very strict rules about revealing identities. No hero has ever revealed their identities to a counterpart without first realizing who they are in civilian life. Plagg and Tikki can attest to that, right guys?” The kwamis flew out from their hiding places and rested on the table. “Cheese is in the fridge, Plagg.”

The black kwami whooped before flying off to the kitchen, digging through the fridge.

“It’s true, Marinette,” Tikki said. “It’s been that way for centuries.”

Plagg flew out of the kitchen, stuffing his face with cheese. “Yep. Years and years and years.”

“We didn’t think it would take you this long to figure it out,” Amelia said, sipping her tea. “Clarisse was the one who wanted us to step in, help you figure it out.”

“Wow. We really worked together for that long without realizing it. I mean, I sat behind you for a whole year. And then we started dating and I still didn’t know?,” Adrien laughed. “Are we really that oblivious?”

“I think we might be,” Marinette smiled.

“I’m just so glad you figured it out,” Amelia sighed. “It was really tiring trying to get you to figure things out without just telling you.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

~~~3 Years Later~~~

Marinette read the letter again. And again. She folded it up and set it on the table, rubbing her face.

Tikki rubbed Marinette’s back. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I need to talk to Adrien. Spots on.”

Marinette leaped across the city, sitting herself on the Eiffel Tower while she waited.

“Hey, I got your text,” Adrien said, dropping down next to her. “What’s wrong?”

“I got an email from Gabriella Slade,” Marinette said, looking out at the city. “She wants me to come work for her.”

“Okay? Who’s Gabriella Slade?”

“She’s a costume designer. In the UK.”

“Oh. Well, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I mean, it’s a great job, with a great salary, and I can easily move up in the costume design world. But it would mean moving away from everything I know. I would have to give up my Miraculous.”

“Would you be willing to do that?”

“I don’t know,” Marinette groaned, rubbing her face. “I love Tikki, I love being Ladybug. But I don’t know if I should give up this offer.”

Adrien wrapped his arm around her. “Well, is there a time-limit on when you can accept?”

“It didn’t say, but I don’t want to take too long to decide.”

“How about you sit down with all of us? Me, Nino, Alya, your parents, our other friends…”

“Maybe. Sounds like a good idea. Then I can talk to Clarisse, too. She went through the same thing.”

Adrien kissed the side of Marinette’s head and rubbed her shoulder. “You’ll figure it out. And whatever you decide, you know we’ll all support you.”

“I know.” She rested her head on Adrien’s shoulder, taking his hand in her own. “I know.”

~~~

“Marinette, this offer is amazing!” Alya said. “You have to take it!”

“Really? I’d be moving away from Paris.”

“Alya’s right,” Juleka said. “This job is going to get you places. Is the location the only thing stopping you? Because we have ways to keep in touch.”

“Yeah, and it’s not like we can’t take the chunnel and visit,” Nino said.

Marinette sighed. “I guess you’re right. I mean, it’s not like I’m moving to the States.”

“You need some more time to think it over, sweetheart?” Sabine asked, rubbing Marinette’s arm.

“Yeah. I think I need to think about it on my own.”

~~~

Marinette sat in Clarisse’s living room across from her and Master Fu. She explained her scenario to the adults and waited to hear their opinions.”

“Well, ultimately, it’s your decision,” Clarisse said. “No one can tell you which to choose.”

“Clarisse is right, Marinette. Whether or not you decide to give up the Miraculous is your decision.”

“I just don’t know what to do. I mean, it’s an amazing offer, the chance of a lifetime, really. But I love being Ladybug, too.” Marinette worried her bottom lip and twisting her earrings. “I think I should take it, but I don’t want to leave this city with no one to protect it.”

“Well, we can permanently give Miraculouses to Carapace and Rena Rouge. And Chat Noir is still here as well.”

“I guess you’re right.” Marinette replied to Master Fu. She smiled. “I’m going to accept the offer.”

~~~

Marinette had all of her boxes stacked at the door of her apartment. She sighed as she looked at the empty place. She reached her hand up and felt the empty spot where her earrings used to be.

“You ready, Mari?” Adrien asked, wrapping his arms around Marinette and resting his chin on her shoulder from behind.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I’m gonna miss Paris. And you.”

“Hey, I’m staying until you settle in, remember?” He kissed her cheek. “And I’m gonna visit you at least one weekend a month, I promise. Dad’s pretty okay with that. Nathalie’s going to be with us, too. You know, to make sure I don’t do anything to destroy the face of the company.”

Marinette smiled. “Yeah, gotta make sure you don’t run through England drunk.”

Adrien laughed. “You’re right about that. So, you ready to start carrying these down?”

“Yeah. Let’s go. I don’t want to miss my plane.”


End file.
